Yes, You Can Get Pregnant While Breastfeeding
When you’re breastfeeding, birth control methods that don’t include estrogen are preferred, especially at first. That’s because estrogen has been linked to lowered milk supply.
What to Know About Periods While Breastfeeding
New or first-time mothers have many questions about their bodies. One is whether they will have their period while breastfeeding. If you choose to breastfeed your child, it can delay your period after birth.
However, this is not always the case, as some mothers may have irregular periods. The hormone prolactin is responsible for preventing menstruation. When you breastfeed, the levels of this hormone are high in your body.
Because of this, you will probably not have your period or will experience only some light spotting while breastfeeding. Meanwhile, some women get their period a few weeks after giving birth, even if they are breastfeeding. Once you start weaning your baby off breast milk, you can expect to get your regular period back.
When Do You Get Your Period After Giving Birth?
The first period after the birth of your child can be as early as five to six weeks. Or, you may not have your period for as long as you nurse your child. Once you stop feeding your baby at night or begin to give them formula or solid foods, your period will return soon.
Your first period after you give birth may be heavier, and you may notice blood clots and have more cramping.
If you think you are losing too much blood or that there are clots, talk to your doctor.
Do Periods Affect Your Milk Supply?
Menstruation can affect your milk supply, especially during the end of the cycle or during your period. This is due to a decrease in prolactin concentration.
At this time, nursing may be uncomfortable, and you might see your baby nursing more frequently due to the decrease in blood supply.
Talk to your doctor about possible ways to increase your milk supply. Drink a lot of fluids and ask your doctor about taking magnesium or calcium supplements.
Can You Get Your Period While Breastfeeding?
Many women do not get their period until they start weaning the baby off breast milk. However, you could have your period a few weeks after giving birth. The timing differs from one mother to another. Irregular periods are also an aftereffect of pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Your period is most likely to resume if your baby no longer requires night-time feeding because they are sleeping for six or more hours. If your baby is feeding less or has started eating solid foods, your period will return soon.
Meanwhile, mothers who keep their babies close, carrying them in a carrier or a sling, are less likely to resume menstruation, as the baby can nurse any time they want.
Can You Breastfeed While You Have Your Period?
When you get your period, you may have sore nipples. Thus, breastfeeding on the first few days of your period may be uncomfortable. Here are some tips to minimize the discomfort:
- Try to breastfeed as often as possible, keeping the baby on your breast, as it would help maintain milk supply.
- Don’t use numbing creams for pain relief. These creams can make your child’s mouth numb and make the process uncomfortable for them.
- If you’re experiencing too much discomfort, talk to your doctor about using an over-the-counter pain reliever.
- If nursing is too painful, pump breast milk. It will allow you to have enough milk supply for the time it takes for the tenderness to go away.
If you are breastfeeding while you are having a period, your baby might not want to latch on. That’s due to the change in the taste of breast milk. The chloride and sodium levels increase in milk during your period, and the lactose levels go down.
As a result, the milk is less sweet than usual. It is rather salty.
So, your baby may be fussy, feed less due to differences in taste, or refuse to nurse. Once your period is over, your baby will return to their nursing routine.
Will Breastfeeding Stop Me From Getting Pregnant?
Your period and breastfeeding routine could delay a new pregnancy. Some research shows that most women do not ovulate, or drop an egg for fertilization, for at least six weeks after giving birth.
This period can be longer if you are breastfeeding your child, because nursing works as natural birth control. But you should not solely rely on nursing if you do not want to get pregnant.
Yes, You Can Get Pregnant While Breastfeeding
If you’re breastfeeding (chestfeeding) you probably already know supplying human milk to your baby comes with tons of health benefits. For instance, breastfeeding can help your baby develop a strong immune system and lower their risk of SIDS.
It also can have benefits for you, like helping reduce your blood pressure, lowering your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, and even reducing your risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
Some people will tell you that breastfeeding will also keep you from getting pregnant. Others will tell you that’s not really the case. And you’re wondering, What’s the truth? Can you get pregnant when breastfeeding?
The reality: Breastfeeding lowers your chances of conceiving, but you can still get pregnant while breastfeeding.
Ob/Gyn Emily Freeman, DO, explains the relationship between nursing and getting pregnant.
Why you can get pregnant while breastfeeding
When you’re breastfeeding, you may not get your period for a while. (Go ahead and add that to the list of benefits, if you’d like!)
Here’s why it happens: When you’re breastfeeding, your body produces a hormone called prolactin. High levels of prolactin affect ovulation (when your ovary releases an egg). That can keep you from having a period.
That’s why you may hear people say that you can’t get pregnant when you’re breastfeeding. Because, they say, if you don’t have a period, you’re not ovulating. And if you’re not ovulating, you can’t get pregnant.
But they’re missing an important nugget of truth about how fertility works.
Namely, that ovulation (your most fertile days of the month) happens several days before you get your period.
“If you have unprotected vaginal intercourse while you’re ovulating, you can get pregnant. And because you ovulate before you bleed, you can get pregnant before you even get your first postpartum period,” Dr. Freeman confirms.
And even after your period returns, it may not come like clockwork (even if you had a fairly regular cycle pre-pregnancy). Your body can take time to reach a normal rhythm after having a baby. Particularly when you’re breastfeeding.
If your periods are irregular, it can be tough (if not impossible) to estimate when you’re ovulating. (And in case you’re wondering, those ovulation strips you may have relied on previously aren’t so accurate when you’re breastfeeding.)
Ovulation and breastfeeding
In the early days of breastfeeding, you’re not likely to ovulate. Especially if you’re exclusively breastfeeding and feeding your baby regularly, day and night.
But eventually, you will. And you’ll become more likely to ovulate if you:
- Pump milk.
- Supplement with formula (or outright switch to formula).
- Begin introducing solid foods.
Lactation amenorrhea method
The lactation amenorrhea method suggests that people who are breastfeeding are safe from becoming pregnant if they:
- Haven’t had a period postpartum.
- Breastfeed at least every four hours during the day and every six hours at night.
- Are fewer than six months postpartum.
When followed very strictly, the lactation amenorrhea method can work for some people. But it’s far from foolproof. And if you aren’t open to the idea of becoming pregnant again or if you have a medical condition that makes pregnancy risky, there are more reliable birth control methods while breastfeeding.
Safe birth control while breastfeeding
If having another baby right away isn’t your goal, Dr. Freeman suggests discussing contraception with your healthcare provider even before you give birth. They can help you understand your options.
She shares birth control you can use while breastfeeding.
Hormonal birth control
Hormonal birth control methods typically include the hormone progestin or a combination of estrogen and progestin.
When you’re breastfeeding, birth control methods that don’t include estrogen are preferred, especially at first. That’s because estrogen has been linked to lowered milk supply.
There are several options for progestin-only birth control that can be started immediately after delivery — even before you leave the hospital. They include:
- Hormonal intrauterine devices (IUDs), including brands like Mirena®.
- Implanted birth control device (Nexplanon®).
- Depo-Provera® shots.
- Progestin-only birth control pills, often called the “minipill.”
- Some providers will prescribe an estrogen and progestin combination pill or device (like the patch or vaginal ring) after your milk supply has been well established, if that works better for you.
When it comes to choosing a hormonal birth control method after delivery, Dr. Freeman says long-acting reversible contraception options are good choices for most people.
“Hormonal IUDs and implants are some of the most effective forms of birth control — whether you’re breastfeeding or not,” she explains. “They’re ‘set it and forget it’ approaches. You don’t have to think about taking a pill every day or scheduling an appointment for a shot. And they can last several years.”
Depending on the brand, hormonal IUDs are approved to be used anywhere from three to eight years. And if you do choose to grow your family before your IUD or implant is ready to be removed, you can get it taken out sooner.
Nonhormonal methods of contraception
Some people prefer to avoid hormonal contraception. Or they may have a health condition that makes it risky to use a hormonal birth control option.
Nonhormonal birth control can still be safe and effective for birth control options while breastfeeding. That includes options like:
- The copper IUD (ParaGard®).
- Condoms (with or without spermicides). Remember, too, that condoms are also the only reliable way to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
- Barrier methods, such as a diaphragm or cervical cap with spermicides.
If you plan to use a device you were fitted for prior to delivery, check with your healthcare provider first. You may need to get refitted after giving birth.
Tubal ligation
If you know you don’t want to get pregnant again, you may consider talking with a healthcare provider about tubal ligation (also referred to as “getting your tubes tied”). It’s a surgical, permanent form of birth control. And it’s safe for most people who are breastfeeding.
During the procedure, your fallopian tubes are cut, blocked off or sealed off to prevent eggs from being fertilized by sperm.
When you give birth, planning your next pregnancy may be the last thing on your mind. But it’s important to consider. Because no matter what you’ve heard, breastfeeding is not the most reliable birth control. Talk with your healthcare healthcare provider about your options.
