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periods and breast feeding?

i was wondering if anyone knows if it is normal not to have periods while breastfeeding as i have been feeding my son for 18 months and have not had a period, i only really feed him at night now and am a little worried, i know its silly but i hate talking to doctors about it, as after to quite horrific labours im scared stiff of having to be poked and proded again after finally feeling like i got a bit of my dignity back.  please help xxx

Replies

  • hi molly

    i've heard of that happening before and it happened to me but i only breastfed for a short while so dont know if it happens for the amount of time its happened to you hunny.

    docs need full permission from you before they poke and prod you so if they need to examine you and you dont feel comfortable just say no

    why not try and have a chat about it to your health visitor they should be able to point you in the right direction image

    sorry i couldnt be of more help

    take care xxxx

  • Hi,Molly.

    I  only breastfed my babies for 8 months at the longest,but I didn't get a period during the time I was probably because of the mini pill I was taking a the time,which you take without a break..They took a couple of months after I finished feeding to return.It's varied with each baby.It may just take a little longer for your periods to return.

    Zoe's right,your doctor needs your permission before they poke and prod you,so if you don't want to tell them.Also if you do have those kinds of examination you can get a female nurse to come with you as a chaperone,(we have two practice nurses at our surgery)or a friend,if anything just to hold your hand,or talk to just so you're not completely focused on what they're doing.

    Sorry can't  help,but I hope you can get the help you need without the awkward examinations,or it sorts itself out before then

  • Don't worry - I had the same experience, in fact having had 3 children I did not have a proper period for 7 years... Don't forget through, this does mean you could get pregnant, even if you have not started your periods again!

     Hope this helps!

  • My 3rd child I breastfed for just over 2 years, but my periods returned when she was 10 months.  Jack is now 9 months, and my periods returned when he was 7 months, much to my dismay, as he is still feeding regularly during the night, so I didn't think they would have returned so quickly.
  • Hiya

    I fed my son til he was 18 months (only one feed at bed time by this point) Literallly 2 weeks after stopping I had my first period - be warned, it can be quite a heavy one.  image

    I am now pregnant again after this one period so it does seem to settle quickly....image

    It is perfectly normal as your body is still producing the hormones to make milk.  I wouldn't worry but if you finish feeding and you take more than a month or two to settle down maybe worth a visit to the docs but normally nature will take care of things in good time....

  • I had the same thing. I breastfed both of my children for nearly a year and both times, my periods started again about 2-3 weeks after stopping. It is something to do with the hormone prolactin which is produced during breastfeeding which , in some people, is enough to stop your body from resuming regular cycles. It doesn't happen in everyone though - I know plenty of women who say that their periods started again while they were still feeding. I just think we're the lucky ones!
  • thankyou so much for all your advice, its definatly put my mind at ease, i dont think my  son will ever want to stop breastfeeding but when he does i'll be ready to expect a bad one xxx
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