First Period After C-section: When Will It Return & How Heavy Will The Flow Be? -

One of good things about pregnancy is that you won't see your menstruation for 9 months and more. Whether you gave birth through C-section or vaginal birth will not determine when your menstruation will start again. It depends on breastfeeding and other factors.

When Does Your First Period After C-Section Return?

A lot of variables will determine when your period returns and those are breastfeeding, how soon your hormones return to normal because immediately you give birth to your baby your hormone levels drop. Although your hormone levels won't drop if you breastfeed. Which means, your reproductive hormones will be suppressed, and you cannot ovulate or produce an egg for fertilization, meaning no menstruation.

This can happen for 6 months if you are breastfeeding exclusively although if you aren't breastfeeding, you should get your first period six to eight weeks after delivery.

Remember:

You might not see your periods until you stop breastfeeding. Although some women see it after a couple of months.

Also, if your little one doesn't nurse very often, your periods will return sooner than six months, the same applies if you are supplementing with formula.

Do not rely on breastfeeding as a form of birth control method as there's no guarantee that you will not ovulate. Meaning you can get pregnant even if you haven't seen your first period.

Factors Affecting Menstruation After Delivery

A lot depends on the;

Health issues you had before pregnancy
How balanced your hormone is
How regular your menstruation was before you got pregnant

Other factors that may affect your first period are;

Stress
Weight loss or gain
Exhaustion
Thyroid disorder
Irregular physical activity

Although C-section does not affect the start of your first period but it does change the way you bleed.

How will your period change after pregnancy?

Your period after giving birth won't be the same with what you were used to before pregnancy, you may notice some changes, such as;

Blood clots
Stronger or lighter cramps than usual
Irregular flow
Heavy flow

With continuous cycles these changes reduce. But it will be like that until your hormones balance out and your body heals. Sometimes, you may not get back your regular periods for months.

Did You Know?

C-section will not delay your menstrual cycle.
Your period may be lighter and less painful.
Your periods may be irregular.
Bleeding after a C-section is heavy.

Whether you deliver through caesarean section or vaginally, you will experience vaginal discharge along with bleeding, called Lochia (a Greek word which means ‘relating to childbirth’) in medical terms. It is not your period, but a general clearing out of the uterine tissue.

C-section delivery may cause heavy bleeding in the first few days, if you notice anything unusual like a foul smelling discharge, along with fever contact your doctor, this can be a sign of postpartum infection, or you feel a sudden urge to urinate for almost a week after delivery.