How long to establish set AF cycle post-partum?

[Annie Mac]

Hope this is the right forum. I've been googling this, but can't find the answer. How long does it take for your cycle to regain regularity after pregnancy? I've had 2 periods since giving birth. The first 2 were 3 weeks apart (normally I have a 26 or 27 day cycle). Well, now I'm on day 29. I POASed today, negative results, so it's not that. Is this typical, to have vastly differing cycle lengths for a while?

[finnegansmom]

I think it would matter if you are breastfeeding first off, and if no, then you'll probably return to fertility faster but also, if you are charting, are you ovulating?
I nursed and didn't get my first AF until 11 months pp both time. The first few cycles were anovulatory. I was pregnant on my 3rd pp cycle after #1, and was pregnant 1 year pp after my second (with a MC in there too).


You might want to post this in the fertility forum as well.

[Annie Mac]

I am breastfeeding. LO is just 6 months old, so there's still a lot of that going on. I'm not charting for fertility, just so I know when to expect AF's next visit, so no idea when I ovulated. If my cycles were regular again, I'd have a pretty good idea of when Ov occurred (if it did), but in this situation, it's anyone's guess.

I'm just wondering if I can return to BF-related amenorrhea after 2 cycles? Or is it normal for the cycles to be wonky and unpredictable for the first little while? Still no AF. Well, I'll wait a few more days, do another preg test and if it's negative (I suspect it will be), I'll check with the doctor. Unless, of course, the cycle returns before then. I'm also almost 40...could this be the beginnings of menopause? I certainly hope not.

[Annie Mac]

x-posted to fertility, thanks! (Actually, just riding on someone else's thread who had the same question. It was definitely the right forum.)