Breastfeeding and getting your period

[moodyjulz]

My hormones have been totally screwed since I took the minipill(not on it anymore). I have yet to get a real cycle but get terrible pms my DD is 7 months and Still going strong with BF even with a low supply here and there. Has anyone had issued with there cycle? are you even suppose to get it back while breast feeding?I am getting an ultrasound on my ovaries tomarrow and hope it gives me some sort of answer.would very much appreciate anyones feedback and experiences!

[greenmulberry]

I have an 8 month old, and I have a Mirena, and except for initial spotting when I had the Mirena installed I have not had a period.

But I understand it is totally normal to not get a period for many months while BFing.

Why are you getting your ovaries ultrasounded, do you suspect a problem??

[sunwise]

Hi there, my DS is 14 months old, still BF'ing (although not as his primary source of nutrition), and I still have no sign of my period returning. I'm not worried either - I think I am just one of those people whose period may not return until the baby has completely weaned.

If you are only having an ultrasound because you are concerned about your period not returning, I think you should consider cancelling. Unless you have reason to believe that something else is wrong, it sounds like you are well within the range of normal!

[moodyjulz]

I thought I had ovarian cysts, I had alot of problems after taking a BC minipill I had lots of symptoms of horrible moodswings especially near my time of cycle hair on my upper lip and some dark hair on my right Breast as well as very low milk supply, I was a real real HOT mess slowly getting better it may seem. I went to the gyne as soon as i started getting pains, I had my ultrasound already as of now and im pretty sure everything was okay.

[justKate]

Sounds pretty much like how my body reacted to the mini-pill.  It was really hard on me, and I wouldn't go back to that as a BC method, ever.  FWIW, I didn't get my period back until DD completely weaned, around 18 months.  The trick is that we're all so different, and our bodies are different even from one baby to the next, that you really never know when you'll be fertile again.  And of course you may be fertile before your period really returns. 

If you haven't seen it yet, I would really recommend the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility.  It has great info about fertility in general and also about fertility signs and fertility returning after a birth or when you stop BFing.  I hope the nasty symptoms go away really soon!

[moodyjulz]

Thank you  justkate I am glad you can help me from your experience but not glad that you had to experience that It is the worst!!! I am not concerned about actually getting the cycle back, I was just curious if its not normal to not get it back. Did you have horrible moodswings up until you weaned?

[justKate]

My horrible pms sort of subsided about 3 weeks after I stopped taking it, and then we weaned about 3 months later.  So things did get better.  I also bled lightly the ENTIRE time i was on it. Every single day.  Ugh.  But I don't believe it was truly a period, because I was charting and my temps weren't showing any hormonal shifts.

I think its pretty normal not to get your period at all until you wean completely, and also normal to get it soon after a birth, despite BFing.  I'm not sure what's causing the pms though...wish someone had the answers.  Maybe some sort of herbal supplement that someone could recommend?

[moodyjulz]

I tried macca root powder its suppose to be great with helping the endocrine system but I noticed my supply was getting low again and i had terrible migraines so i quit adding it to my breakfast shakes. I read some places that Bf can just make you act and feel different all together and once you stop ppl seem to notice a difference.I cant let this idea ruin BF for my DD or me I just gotta tuff it out and I guess take it easy as often as I can so i don't hurt my supply.Thanks everyone for the support