Can You Get Your Period And Still Be Pregnant – Pregnancy can have its challenges, but on the festive side, you’re spared the monthly cycles and mood swings, cramps and bleeding that come with them. Of course, now that you’ve had your baby, you may be wondering when your period is most likely to return. The short answer is…
The timing of your first period after delivery depends on whether or not you are breastfeeding. If you’re formula feeding, Aunt Flo should arrive around six to eight weeks after the big day. However, if you are exclusively breastfeeding—meaning your baby drinks absolutely nothing but breast milk (other than vitamins or medications)—your period will likely be delayed. That’s because prolactin, the hormone released during breastfeeding, delays the start of ovulation again. No ovulation = no bleeding.
Can You Get Your Period And Still Be Pregnant
Some women do not have periods the entire time they are breastfeeding. Others will have a period while they are still breastfeeding, especially after bottle feeding with formula, solid food or when the baby goes to sleep at night.
Can Sex Change Your Period?
Yes! Yes! Yes! When your cycle returns, you will ovulate two weeks before your first period, so you will have
That you are fertile! If you’re not ready to get pregnant again, check your birth control. Hormonal birth control won’t harm your baby, but if they contain estrogen, they can cause your milk supply to decrease. Ask your doctor about non-hormonal birth control methods—including diaphragms, condoms, certain versions of the pill (progesterone-only pills don’t reduce milk supply), and some IUDs—that are completely compatible with breastfeeding.
In theory, yes, you can use breastfeeding as birth control, but it comes with a big asterisk. Using breastfeeding as birth control is known as the Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM), and it is based on the fact that ovulation is delayed if you are exclusively breastfeeding. However, for it to work you need to meet certain conditions:
If you are doing all of the above, LAM can be up to 98% effective at preventing pregnancy. The problem is that meeting all three of these requirements can be challenging for some families, so it’s not foolproof. Learn more about using breastfeeding to prevent pregnancy.
Period (menstruation) Facts
Rest assured…the first period postpartum is usually heavier than normal because there is extra blood in your endometrium that needs to be shed. You may experience easier periods due to physical changes in the uterus and cervix, although some people experience stronger cramps.
Here’s another surprise: After the first postpartum period, the next one can come early … or rather late. It may take several months for your cycle to become regular again. Keep some period protection in your wallet so you don’t get caught out. If you start bleeding soon after giving birth, ask your doctor if tampons are safe to use. Most women find that pads are a better option until the vagina has fully recovered from childbirth. You will usually be given permission to use tampons at your six-week postnatal check-up.
While the first post-baby period can be rough, the flow shouldn’t be so heavy that you’re going through one pad every one to two hours. Call your doctor if you experience any of the following:
For the most part, heavy flow comes with the territory of the first postpartum period. However, a small percentage of people who give birth experience postpartum haemorrhage (defined as the loss of 500 ml of blood or more), which can happen anywhere from 24 hours to 12 weeks after delivery.
Can You Get Pregnant On Your Period?
Bleeding after birth is usually caused by what is known as uterine contractions – this means that the uterine muscles do not contract normally to tighten the blood vessels after the baby arrives. It can also be caused by other conditions (which you were probably diagnosed with before birth):
While you may wish your period would just go away forever, remember that it’s a sign that your body is functioning normally after pregnancy. Practice self-defense by getting plenty of rest, taking walks to relieve cramps, and eating healthy fats (hello, avocado toast!) and iron-rich lentils, prunes, meats, and foods cooked in a cast-iron skillet.
Dr. Harvey Karp, one of America’s most trusted pediatricians, is the founder of Happiest Baby and the inventor of the revolutionary SNOO Smart Sleeper. After years of treating patients in Los Angeles, Dr. World-class Karp with the publication of the bestsellers Happiest Baby on the Block and Happiest Toddler on the Block. His famous books and videos have since become standard pediatrics, translated into more than 20 languages, and have helped millions of parents. Breakthrough methods of Dr. Karp, including the 5 S’s to calm babies, guide parents to understand and nurture their babies and relieve stress problems, such as new parent fatigue, crying babies and cookies.
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How Late Can A Period Be Before You Should Start To Worry?
Disclaimer: The information on our site is NOT medical advice for a specific person or condition. It is intended as general information only. If you have any medical questions and concerns about your child or yourself, please contact your healthcare provider. Q: Hi! I had sex last month when I was on my period and we only realized the condom broke after my boyfriend came. I took a pregnancy test and it was negative and I had a period last week which may have been my period but I’m not sure. Can you still get your period if you are pregnant?
If an egg isn’t fertilized and doesn’t enter the uterine wall, the body is like, “Well, we don’t need this endometrium that we’ve been building all month,” and you have a period. . All of the endometrium is then shed from the body out of the vagina (it’s actually period blood). If a fertilized egg implants in the uterus (also pregnancy happens), then the body is like “Wow, I need all this endometrium to nourish the egg!” and you don’t have a period.
Bleeding can happen while a person is pregnant, it just isn’t bleeding. Reasons for this could be:
Spotting, implantation bleeding and ectopic pregnancy are the three we get asked about the most, so we have more information on those below. It should be noted that implantation bleeding and ectopic pregnancy bleeding are generally rare.
Your Period After A C Section: When Will It Return?
It can also help to remember that using hormonal birth control or the emergency contraceptive pill (like Plan B) can also cause you to bleed differently than you are used to. Hormones can change the pattern of your period, and using something like Plan B, your next period can be early or even up to 2 weeks late.
The only way to know for sure if you are pregnant is to take a pregnancy test. Missing or irregular periods alone are not enough to tell. Pregnancy tests are accurate if taken 14 days after sex where there was a risk of pregnancy. And they are very accurate! Please see one of our recent blog posts for more information:
If you go from the scenario described above, there is really no risk of pregnancy when one is menstruating. Eggs can only be fertilized between 24-48 hours after ovulation. Ovulation usually occurs 11-16 days before someone expects a period. When bleeding occurs, the eggs and endometrium are not usable and are washed out. Even if sperm were introduced into the equation at this point, they wouldn’t be able to do anything (since sperm die within 5 days). Now if someone has a very short cycle, like less than 25 days between periods, there could be a potential risk of pregnancy due to residual sperm after period sex. For more information, please see our post What’s at Risk: Pregnancy Edition.
Spotting is light bleeding that occurs between periods. Since periods are usually heavy enough for people to use various pads to absorb them, spotting is more likely to appear as just light spots of blood that you might notice in your underwear or when you wipe in the bathroom. These spots tend to be a different color (often red, dark red, or brownish) and a different consistency than your normal period blood, too. Its causes can include hormonal birth control, emergency contraceptive pills, urinary tract infections, sexually transmitted diseases, pelvic inflammatory disease, polyps, ovulation, early pregnancy or even particularly rough sex.
Stopped Or Missed Periods
This is a slight bleeding that some people experience 6-12 days after an egg is fertilized. Although it can happen when you might expect a period, implantation bleeding is not the same type of bleeding you would likely experience during your period. The table below is a general comparison:
An ectopic pregnancy is where the fertilized egg gets attached somewhere outside the uterus (usually in the fallopian tube). An early symptom of this is early vaginal bleeding. Other more serious symptoms include:
If you are experiencing any of these, it is generally recommended that you see a doctor as soon as possible.
Please note that as with many resources around menstruation and pregnancy, the following links use gender specifics
Does A Missed Period Mean You’re Pregnant?
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