Periods! When do they return??

[Crunchie]

This may seem a silly question as I'm on my second child. But when do your periods come back? First time round my DD was born at 27 weeks and I didn't breastfeed (I expressed for 4.5 months) I seem to remember my periods returned soon after that.

This time I breastfed exclusively until 16 weeks, and then introduced bottles. Now at 7 months my baby is soley bottle fed I finally gave up even the evening feed about 3 weeks ago. By then it had become a comfort 5 mins suck, not a proper feed. So we stopped it (I am working full time so I can't do any others).

Anyway I am just wondering when my periods will return? Any ideas? Not that I really want them to, but I just wondered

Crunchie it is one of those things that there is no answer to! We are all different, it varies so much.

I breastfed both mine for over a year and with both they returned at around the 6-7 month mark.

Crunchie - yes it does vary a lot - 6 weeks if you don't breastfeed at all to over a year (13 months in my case). As for you I'd expect your periods to return pretty quickly if you have stopped breastfeeding. You have to breastfeed very frequently (every 3-4 hours during the day and a break of no longer than about 6 hours at night) to prevent ovulation. With breastfeeding returning of periods does vary but some of this is probably due to people's breastfeeding habits as very few do exclusively breastfeed for long. Even missing one feed can be enough to lower hormone levels and thus periods can return. Incidently expressing as a substitute to breastfeeding providing it is done frequently would have the same effect on your body as it is the nipple stimulation that releases the hormones that prevent ovulation. Therefore you can keep periods away by expressing often.

Hope the first one is not too yukky for you.

You see that is what I thought, that once I started cutting down feeding my periods would return. I started a bottle a day from 16 weeks, 2 bottles a day by 18 weeks and by 20 weeks I only fed once a day. This continued for about 6 - 8 weeks until I gave up totally. It has been about 3 weeks since I last fed at all, and still nothing!

Not that I'm worried, just puzzeled

Mmmm that's strange Crunchie, it has been a while then since you cut down. I got mine back at 6 months when I suppose dd was eating more solids and had cut down on b/feeds. Perhaps you should have a word with your doc? You couldn't possibly be pregnant could you? If not then enjoy the hassle free time!

Hmmm - this is odd - would have expected your period to have come back. However the protection against pregnancy is highest in the first 6 months and for some women it can take longer for their bodies to return to normal after breastfeeding. At 7 months I wouldn't be too concerned - wait another few weeks ... but discuss it with your doctor if you are worried. There could be other reasons for lack of periods - stress or maybe your body just doesn't feel 'ready' yet for being fertile and I guess you will know yourself whether you are likely to be pregnant or not.

Sorry to lower the tone, but I can't wait for mine to stop forever. I'm 44 and no end in sight. I look back on Jan 86 to Jul 87 as one of the best times in my life - no periods, just 2 children.

Message withdrawn

Lizzer, I don't think I'm pg (god I hope not anyway!) and I am under stress, going back to work and all that. I only asked because I thought I was going mad. So perhaps I'll make an appointment with the GP (if I can find the time)

Bloss - I read that article too and have been trying to find it ever since. Indeed having a period every 4 weeks is not the norm for the majority of women. I never went back on the pill after my son was born and my cycles were very irregular after the first period but finally settled down to about 32 days. That only makes 10 periods in a year. Makes a difference when it covers a whole lifetime of reproduction. This article did indeed point out the loss of iron every month, and other conditions as Bloss says. In fact I've only had 9 periods in the past 3 years (I am pregnant again). And if I predict I have no periods for the same length of time again (13 months post partum + 9 months pregnancy) this would make only 9 periods in 4 1/2 years.

I never thought about it before but all those eggs you lose every time too - we only have a limited amount!

Or if you have the Depo Provera contraceptive injection and it suits you, you never have to bleed at all. It's fantastic and I recommend it but it doesn't suit everyone. You have to have it at the top of your bottom every 12 weeks for it to be effective.

Crunchie, I expressed milk for 3 months but my periods didn't return until 7 months after ds was born. If you feel OK, then it is probably not something to worry about too much. How about calling NHS direct?

Mine didn't return until my son was 9 months old and I had to go on a week long work trip. I had gone back to work when he was three months old and expressed twice and then once a day at work. Although I continued to express when I was away (being interrupted a number of times by hotel cleaning staff mid pumping-session!), periods resumed on my return.