All About Your First Period After a C-Section
After giving birth via a c-section, many women wonder when their menstrual cycle will resume. While every woman is different, your first period after a c-section typically arrives within 6 to 8 weeks after delivery.
Your First Period After A C-section: When and What To Expect (2024)
Congratulations on becoming a new mum! Whatever way you birthed your baby, you may wonder when your first period will arrive and how it might differ from your pre-pregnancy menstrual cycles.
In this blog, we’ll explore the timing of your first post-c-section period, what to expect, how it might change after pregnancy, factors that can impact it, and whether you can get pregnant again after a c-section. So, let’s snap to it!
When Will I Get My First Period After a C-Section?
After giving birth via a c-section, many women wonder when their menstrual cycle will resume. While every woman is different, your first period after a c-section typically arrives within 6 to 8 weeks after delivery.
Timing can vary based on breastfeeding, hormonal changes, and individual variations.
What Will My Period Be Like After a C-Section?
Your first period after a C-section might be different from your pre-pregnancy periods. It’s common to experience changes in the duration, flow, and intensity of your menstrual cycle.
Some women report heavier or lighter bleeding, irregular cycles, or intense cramps. These changes are usually temporary and should normalise over time.
Will my period change after pregnancy?
Yes, pregnancy can have an impact on your menstrual cycle. After giving birth, whether via c-section or vaginal delivery, it’s common for your periods to be irregular for a few months.
This is because your body is adjusting to hormonal changes and recovering from pregnancy.
Over time, your menstrual cycle should return to its pre-pregnancy pattern, but it may take a few months to stabilise.
Factors that impact your period after a C-section
Several factors can influence your post-c-section periods. Here are a few key factors to consider:
1. Breastfeeding
If you’re exclusively breastfeeding, your periods may be delayed or irregular due to the hormone prolactin, which may suppress ovulation. Your menstrual cycle is likely to resume once you start weaning or introducing solid foods.
2. Hormonal changes
After childbirth, your hormones undergo significant changes. These fluctuations can affect the regularity and characteristics of your periods.
It’s essential to give your body time to adjust to these changes.
3. Stress and lifestyle
Stress and the ‘newborn’ hectic lifestyle can impact your hormonal balance and menstrual cycle. It’s essential to prioritise self-care, manage stress levels, and maintain a healthy lifestyle to support your overall well-being, including your menstrual health.
Period or Lochia?
During the first few weeks after a c-section, you might experience postpartum bleeding, known as lochia. Lochia differs from your menstrual period and is a normal part of the healing process after childbirth.
Lochia contains blood, mucous and uterine tissue and typically starts as bright red bleeding and gradually tapers off, changing colour and becoming a lighter flow over a few weeks.
Once the lochia has stopped, you can expect your first period to arrive within a few weeks.
Can You Get Pregnant After a C-Section?
The simple answer is that YES, you can get pregnant. But, many mums experience a time of delayed fertility during breastfeeding.
Some mums refer to this as the Lactation Amenorrhea Method (LAM) of contraception, but be careful because it is not a foolproof or recommended method of preventing another pregnancy.
But hold your horses (or strollers) because the odds of conception right after giving birth are slim because you’re unlikely to have much sex. After all, who has the energy to engage in that kind of acrobatics when you’re adjusting to life with a newborn and barely catching a wink of sleep?
Listen up, ladies, because things can get interesting sooner than expected. Some women have been known to have conceived as early as three weeks after popping out their little bundle of joy. Yes, you read that right! Even if you’re breastfeeding or haven’t had a period yet, that doesn’t mean it won’t happen to you.
Of course, you can rock another pregnancy after a c-section if that is what you desire! But, the recommended time to wait is 12 months before conceiving to avoid any c-section scar issues and allow your body to recover.
Remember, as you embark on your postpartum journey after a c-section, having questions and concerns about your first period is expected. Every woman’s experience is unique, and your menstrual cycle may take some time to regulate.
If you have any concerns or notice any unusual changes, don’t hesitate to contact your healthcare provider for guidance and support. Enjoy these special moments with your baby, and embrace the changes your body is going through.
You and your baby are amazing! You’ve got this!
All About Your First Period After a C-Section
When will my period return after a C-section, and what will it look like? We have answers to your most pressing questions.
Updated on June 26, 2024
Galina Zhigalova/Getty Images
If you’re one of the millions of people who has delivered via C-section know this: You are not alone. Up to 32% of individuals in the United States give birth via this method each year. Still, if you’ve had a cesarean section, you probably have lots of questions—some of which involve your monthly menstrual cycle. When do you get your period after a C-section? Does breastfeeding affect your cycle? And should you expect light, heavy, or irregular periods after a C-section?
We’ve got all of the answers—and more. Here’s everything you need to know about how C-sections affect your period.
When Will I Get My First Period After a C-Section?
Most people will get their first period after a C-section within 6–8 weeks if they are not nursing. Having a prior history of C-section does not impact how quickly your period after a C-section will return. What does affect menstruation, however, is whether you choose to breastfeed your baby.
“Most individuals who don’t breastfeed will have their periods return at 6-8 weeks postpartum, if they had regular periods before getting pregnant,” says Pamela Promecene, M.D., professor and obstetrician with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth/UT Physicians in Houston. “If a person is breastfeeding, return of menstruation is more unpredictable. Many who breastfeed exclusively, for example, will not have menses return for several months.”
What Factors Impact the Return of Your Period?
Besides breastfeeding, height and weight also impact the return of your period after a C-section, says David Colombo, M.D., Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Spectrum Health. “The form of birth control will also play a factor,” he says. “For example, if a person is on the shot (Depo-Provera), it could be a year before it returns.” What’s more, if your period wasn’t regular before pregnancy, it might still be irregular after a C-section.
What Will My Period Be Like After a C-Section?
Wondering if you’ll experience bad periods after a C-section? The truth is that after your period returns, it can take a while for the cycle to be totally regular again. You may notice small blood clots, irregular flow, or increased period pain after a C-section. That’s because a lot of your uterine lining must shed with the return of menstruation. Some people also experience a heavy period after C-section, while others have a lighter-than-normal flow.
If you’re worried about period symptoms, or if you think you should be menstruating and you’re not, give your doctor a call. Also see if your doctor for extremely heavy bleeding (soaking more than one pad per hour), very painful cramping, foul-smelling discharge. clumps bigger than golf balls, and menstruation accompanied by fever.
Is It My Period or Lochia?
After both vaginal births and C-sections, individuals shed a mixture of blood, mucus, and uterine tissue known as “lochia.” This vaginal discharge can last for several weeks postpartum. However, lochia is usually lighter in color than your period; it may even be a creamy white, pink, or brown. It also smells “sweet” and increases with physical activity.
Can You Get Pregnant After a C-Section?
It’s important to remember that even if you’re not menstruating regularly while breastfeeding, you can still ovulate and become pregnant. This is most often the case for moms of babies older than 6 months, who are eating solid foods and breastfeeding less frequently, or for babies who get a combination of breast milk and formula, because levels of breastfeeding hormones may not be high enough to suppress ovulation. So if another baby is not in your game plan right now, be sure to use a reliable method of birth control.
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Tell us why!
Parents uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
- CDC. Births – Methods of Delivery.
- March of Dimes. Your body after baby: The first 6 weeks.
- Planned Parenthood. Are there birth control shot side effects?
- UT Southwestern Medical Center. Will My Period Change After Pregnancy?
- American Pregnancy Association. Cesarean After-Care.
Related Articles
7 Questions About Breastfeeding After a C-Section, Answered
All You Need To Know About Having a C-Section
How Long Should I Wait To Get Pregnant After a C-Section?
How Many C-Sections Is ‘Too Many’?
Signs of Infection After a C-Section
What to Know About Vaginal Birth After a C-Section (VBAC)
5 Exercises to Try After a C-Section
Vaginal Bleeding After C-Section: How Long Does It Last?
C-Section vs. Vaginal Birth: What’s the Difference?
C-Section Scar Care: Your Guide to Helping It Heal
A Week-by-Week C-Section Recovery Timeline
What Are Gentle C-Sections?
7 Things I Wish I’d Known About C-Section Recovery
What to Pack in Your C-Section Hospital Bag: A Checklist
What to Do When You’re 40 Weeks Pregnant With No Sign of Labor
Why Doctors Perform C-Sections for Babies in Breech
- About Us
- Expert Review Board
- Editorial Guidelines
- Product Review Guidelines
- Diversity Pledge
- Privacy Policy
- Careers
- Terms of Service
- Contact
- Advertise
- EU Privacy
Parents is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.
Newsletter Sign Up
Newsletter Sign Up
We Care About Your Privacy
We and our 100 partners store and/or access information on a device, such as unique IDs in cookies to process personal data. You may accept or manage your choices by clicking below, including your right to object where legitimate interest is used, or at any time in the privacy policy page. These choices will be signaled to our partners and will not affect browsing data.
We and our partners process data to provide:
Store and/or access information on a device. Use limited data to select advertising. Create profiles for personalised advertising. Use profiles to select personalised advertising. Create profiles to personalise content. Use profiles to select personalised content. Measure advertising performance. Measure content performance. Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources. Develop and improve services. Use limited data to select content. List of Partners (vendors)
