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How does pregnancy affect menstruation?

By Cristina Mestre Ferrer B.Sc., M.Sc. (embryologist).
Last Update: 05/06/2022

When pregnancy occurs, the body detects it in a way that prevents menstruation in the following months.

One of the most frequent concerns of pregnant women is to know when they will get their period again after childbirth. The waiting time for menstruation when giving birth varies greatly depending on whether the woman breastfeeds the baby or not.

Breastfeeding is an anovulatory period. At the beginning there is no ovulation because the milk feedings are every two hours. As the feedings are spaced out, the body starts producing the necessary hormones again and ovulation begins. Sometimes ovulation occurs, but menstruation as such does not occur until later. Therefore, if you breastfeed, it will be necessary to use contraceptive methods to avoid becoming pregnant again while breastfeeding. Menstruation usually returns 4 to 6 months after the birth of the baby.

If the woman does not choose to breastfeed the baby, menstruation comes earlier. This usually occurs about two months after delivery.

 Cristina Mestre Ferrer
Cristina Mestre Ferrer
B.Sc., M.Sc.
Embryologist
Bachelor's Degree in Biological Sciences, Genetics & Human Reproduction from the University of Valencia (UV). Master's Degree in Biotechnology of Human Assisted Reproduction from the UV and the Valencian Infertility Institute (IVI). Embryologist at IVI Barcelona.
Embryologist. Bachelor's Degree in Biological Sciences, Genetics & Human Reproduction from the University of Valencia (UV). Master's Degree in Biotechnology of Human Assisted Reproduction from the UV and the Valencian Infertility Institute (IVI). Embryologist at IVI Barcelona.