When did your period return?

[Tonya]

This seems like the place to ask this question. I'm just curious to what is the norm. I'm still breastfeeding my 12 1/2 month old and don't plan on stopping anytime soon. (His choice, not mine). My period hasn't returned yet. Is this normal? My friend is also breastfeeding and her little girl is 14 months old and her period came back at 3 months. I breastfed my first child for 8 months and my period came back after I stopped breastfeeding. Is it unhealthly to not have a period for so long? Thanks for your responses.

[velcromom]

It is actually good for you. In the case of breastfeeding, your estrogen levels are lower before AF returns and that is why nursing decreases your risk for breast and ovarian cancers. So the longer, the better, healthwise. My period returned at 22 months, it seems every woman is different.

[TiredX2]

Velcromom is 100% right That (increased estrogen exposure) is one reason early puberty is such a concern--- increased cancer/disease risk.

From what I have read, the average among "scheduled" (but exclusively, no formula) moms is 8 months, among "cue fed" moms 14 months. For me it was 11.5 months with DD, 25 months with DS and the longest I have known anyone IRL to go was just over three years. If you're concerned, there are methods to bring it about (that work with varying degrees of sucess) but *I* certainly wouldn't!!! I was bummed both times :LOL

[sagewinna]

21 months w/ my first
16 months w/ my second
12 months w/ my third

[raleigh_mom]

With my oldest, it returned when she was 14 months and still breastfeeding, but only 2-3 times a day.

With my youngest, she is 20 months today, and it has not returned yet. (Hooray!)

My understanding is it depends mostly on two things. First, simply the woman's own chemistry. Second, how much and when you breastfeed. My baby is eating on cue, no real limits from me unless we are in the car or somewhere it just doens't feel appropriate. She is still waking to nurse at night and I understand nighttime nursing delays the return of your period even more than daytime nursing for some reason.

[mom2wed]

14 months for me.

[francesmct]

Even though I EBF'd around the clock on demand and through the night (basically all the time ) I STILL managed to get my period at 4 months. Apart from being totally bummed I was so shocked. I wasn't expecting until we weaned.

Anyway, someone told me it means I'm very fertile??

[Danesmama]

I got mine back on Thanksgiving day this year : ! My newest ds is 4 months old and Exclusively BF.

[CartersMomma]

6 months with ds
10 1/2 months with dd
Both nursed all night too!

[amyjeans]

God Bless you lucky lucky women!
I am b-feeding on DEMAND! literally
with my 2 mo old and I am pumping for my 23 mo old (she stopped nursing at 11 mo- her choice, but still loves the milk!)
My period returned 6 weeks after birth with my 1st babe and 7 weeks after with my 2nd babe
:
*edit* and I stay home full time so babes get it whenever they want it.

[Galatea]

I bf on demand and AF returned at 5 months.

I think the average is 14.5 months.

[hallesmom]

I'm currently at 16 months....I do spot occassionally-which drives me nuts, but it hasn't come back fully yet...thank goodness!!!!!!!!!!!

[augustmom]

I got mine back at around 12 months. DD still nurses 4 to 5 times a day though

[brookerenee]

AF returned at 11.5 months PP, even with us practicing complete ecological BF.

Another thing I've heard, is that younger women get their periods back sooner than older women. I don't know how much truth there is to that, though. I think it has a lot to do with personal body chemistry, and how susceptible one is to prolactin levels. For instance, in my case, I could feel my body trying to begin cycling again. I had cyclical cramps and fertile CM for a few months before AF finally showed. One teeny, tiny change in DD's nursing habits was all it took to tip the scales in AF's favor.

[Sassafrass]

I totally got a raw deal on this one! DD is almost 6 months, and my period came back in full force yesterday! I have had a couple of episodes of light spotting over the past 3 months or so. Anyway, she nurses every hour, still, and sometimes she stays latched on the whole time we are in bed together for morning nap and night time. She did start going down about 7 pm a couple of weeks ago, though, and has on occasion slept about 6 hrs until 1 or so in the morning. We do family bed, so usually as soon as I go to bed at night she nurses, then every couple of hours until time to get up at 6 AM at the very least. Also, about 3 weeks ago, she reduced her nursing time from 30 minutes out of every hour to about 10-15 minutes every hour. I am sure this is what influenced the early return of my cycle. She also started taking a pacifier, but only in the car, and she is still nursing as often as ever. Oh well, I am happy she has stayed away this long, but I was really hoping it would be longer.

Angela

[Michelle Leigh]

DD nursed on demand for 17 months and it returned 6 weeks after that... so 19 months post partum...
DD 2 is still nursing on demand at 4 months, and I'm guessing it won't return until some time after she stops nursing.

I feel that it's not a problem to go that long... I suspect it's nature's way.

[mama_kass]

6 weeks with ds#1
4 months with ds#2

However, I charted with ds#2 and my fertility did not return until ds was past one year old.

I breastfed exclusivly and on cue. Hope it will stay away longer with the next one.

[polka123]

about 5-6 mos with full time nursing

[Happy Becky]

glad to see some other "early returns"

Well, I'm glad to see that there a few other Mamas who got their periods back around 4-5 months, even though the babes were nursed all the time on demand. My ds is almost 5 months now and I got my period last week!! : I was not planning on getting it back for a looong while and I felt like such a failure when I got it!!!!!!!!! I don't know why? I realize now that every body is different and it's just fine. It doesn't mean I'm not a good Mommy and it doesn't mean that ds doesn't nurse enough--he nurses whenever he wants to and is a healthy, BIG boy!!! But...Ugh!!! KWIM???

[mommylynn]

My period started 6 weeks after my first baby (a few weeks after I stopped bleeding from the birth itself!!). She fed on demand and slept with me so had milk all night long but it still came back!!
It started 4 months after the second baby but I was tandem feeding both kids so maybe that made a difference.
I wonder if a woman is still protected from all the different types of cancers if she is still breastfeeding and her period returns?
Are the hormones still different than if she was not breastfeeding at all?
I asked my midwife and she didn't know.