Breastfeeding Fertility with Regular Cycle?

[sunnygir1]

Hello all,

I have been doing some searching and reading here, but haven't found an answer to my question yet.

I am breastfeeding my 19 month old and have had a regular menstrual cycle since she was 13.5 months...so 6 months, I guess.

I'm wondering if nursing hormones can still interfere with fertility even if my cycle is regular, or if my regular cycle indicates that I am back to normal fertility.

TIA

[JMJ]

If your cycles are regular, it is likely that your fertility has gone back to about what it was before you got pregnant. It is still possible that a sudden increase in sucking by your child could delay ovulation a bit, thereby extending your cycle. I also can't guarantee that your luteal phases are as long as they were before. If you're curious, you can monitor BBT's or CM so that you can tell how long they are. Average is 14 days, but 12-16 is normal, and as little as 9-10 may allow you to get pregnant and sustain a pregnancy.

[dogmom327]

I wondered about this too. AF came back in March and we aren't using any sort of BC. I'm using ovulation tests so I know when I'm ovulating and we dtd usually a day or two before ovulation. I'm figuring something isn't working right or we have bad odds. Either way, I figure if my body isn't ready than I'm glad it isn't happening.

[bellee]

I usually stay pretty regular after AF returns, but I personally have noticed a late period after a month of more than average breastfeeding, like if my kid was sick near ovulation, sometimes it's delayed a bit. That's just me though.

[sunnygir1]

Originally Posted by JMJ

If your cycles are regular, it is likely that your fertility has gone back to about what it was before you got pregnant. It is still possible that a sudden increase in sucking by your child could delay ovulation a bit, thereby extending your cycle. I also can't guarantee that your luteal phases are as long as they were before. If you're curious, you can monitor BBT's or CM so that you can tell how long they are. Average is 14 days, but 12-16 is normal, and as little as 9-10 may allow you to get pregnant and sustain a pregnancy.

Uh, I'm totally not up on the lingo of this forum. BBTs or CM is that temperature and mucous?

I'm not actually sure whether I would want to monitor to prevent or encourage pregnancy. I'm a little on the fence right now, enjoying my breastfeeding relationship with my 19.5 month old and not sure I want to breastfeed through a pregnancy and pretty sure I don't want to tandem nurse. On the other hand, I'm starting to feel ready to ttc.