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The first menstruation after cesarean section: timing and features. When do menstruation start after cesarean section? How many months after cesarean section do menstruation begin?

The child is born and the mother begins the process of restoring all rhythms, first of all, regular menstruation. At the same time, the ability to conceive returns. Remembering this is especially important for those women who had to undergo a caesarean section, since after the operation full recovery the uterus is possible no earlier than three years later.

When does menstruation begin after a caesarean section?

The arrival of the first menstruation during surgical delivery is difficult to predict - each organism is individual and healing times vary. However, you need to remember about the need for protection even before regular menstruation is restored. After the operation, the uterus contracts more slowly, as the fresh suture interferes with this. After natural birth there is no such problem. According to statistics, this process lasts approximately 7 weeks. The size of the uterus shrinks faster if a woman is breastfeeding.


After childbirth, until the first menstruation, a woman continues to experience lochia - the release and removal from the uterus of postpartum materials, mucus, coagulated blood, and remnants of fetal membranes. This process takes up to 40 days and only after its completion is it possible for a new egg to mature and the menstruation mechanism to start. This discharge differs in color, intensity and consistency from the blood that is released during a regular cycle.

The timing of the first menstruation after childbirth is affected by:

  • the presence and intensity of lactation, feeding the child;
  • characteristics of a particular woman’s pregnancy;
  • age and psychological condition mothers;
  • presence of chronic or acute diseases;
  • nutrition, rest and healthy sleep of a woman.

The restoration of a regular cycle occurs faster in those women whose child is on artificial feeding. During breastfeeding The body produces the hormone prolactin, which suppresses the activity of the ovaries, and the method of delivery has almost no effect on this process. When does your period start? caesarean section, the time has come to return to contraception.

If regular cycle has not recovered even after several months, but there is milk in the breast and feeding continues, there is no reason to worry. With a mixed feeding regimen, you should expect your period to arrive within four months. With artificial feeding, you should worry if the process has not recovered after three months.

The nature of the first menstruation after cesarean section

When your first period comes after a caesarean section, your periods may be very heavy. At this time, it is especially important to avoid any stress, not to be nervous, to devote time to sleep and rest, and to eat normally. Lifting heavy objects is especially dangerous, as it can lead to increased bleeding. Heavy periods after cesarean section should stop after 1-2 cycles.


It is advisable to visit a gynecologist in the first 3-4 months after the baby is born. Signs of deterioration:

  • temperature;
  • soreness;
  • heavy and prolonged bleeding;
  • absence of regular periods 3–4 months after childbirth;
  • the appearance of blood in the middle of the cycle.

A woman needs to be examined if her discharge is unusually scanty after surgery. The resulting scar on the uterus can interfere with the contraction process and prevent its cavity from being completely cleared of blood. In the pelvic area, stagnant processes develop that can cause inflammation. Very heavy discharge may indicate uterine bleeding.


How long does the first period last?

Menstruation after a cesarean section, most often, for the first time can occur without the ripening of the egg, since the functions of the body have not yet been fully restored (for more details, see the article: menstruation during breastfeeding after cesarean section). In this case, bleeding can be intense and lasts up to a week. Then all processes are normalized, the duration and intensity of menstruation return to the state it was before pregnancy. The activity of the ovaries is completely restored and the next pregnancy is possible.

A woman needs treatment if she has chronic disorders, infection or inflammation is detected. During pregnancy, and then after childbirth, the body re-experiences the hormonal adjustment of all systems, including menstruation:

  • stabilization of deadlines;
  • reduction of pain;
  • reducing the duration and severity of bleeding;
  • reducing the effect of PMS.

When does the cycle return?

The restoration of a stable menstrual cycle after childbirth occurs 2 months (but not longer than six months) after the onset of menstruation. If there is no breastfeeding, but menstruation does not begin, the woman needs to consult a specialist. The second warning sign is abnormal amount and duration of bleeding. At the beginning, the discharge may be abundant, but later its intensity decreases.


After a cesarean section, normalization of the cycle occurs more slowly, as the scar on the uterus interferes with this. Normal healing of the suture has a positive effect on other manifestations of the reproductive function of the body. For quick recovery it is necessary to follow the doctor’s recommendations and handle with care own body. When you have heavy periods after a cesarean section, it is important not to miss dangerous uterine bleeding.

When breastfeeding

During breastfeeding, the hormonal balance of a woman who has given birth shifts, ensuring milk production. mammary glands. The hormone responsible for this process inhibits the restoration of the menstrual cycle. When a woman has undergone surgery, the period for the return of menstruation will depend not on this fact, but on the presence and intensity of natural feeding.

The more often and intensively breastfeeding, the better the body produces the hormone prolactin and the further the onset of menstruation is delayed. You cannot rely on the fact that this excludes the possibility of pregnancy. Regardless of the presence of milk in the breast, within a year the reproductive capacity of the body will be restored. When this happens can be determined by the start of feeding the baby with other foods. As soon as the intensity of breastfeeding decreases, ovarian function resumes.

With artificial feeding

Many women who give birth through surgery have problems producing breast milk. This may be affected by the difficulties of recovering the body after surgery, nervous excitement, or the need to temporarily separate her from her child during the mother’s treatment in the hospital. If milk is not produced, the ability to conceive is restored faster.


When artificially feeding a baby, the ability to fertilize can return to the mother after the first menstruation, and a regular cycle (from 3 to 7 days) will be restored within two months after birth. It is important to remember that conception during this period is not only possible, but also extremely dangerous for a woman, since the suture on her uterus has not yet completely healed.

Possible complications after cesarean section

Women who have a caesarean section often experience further complications. Among the most common are endomyometritis or inflammation of the uterus; adhesions may begin. It is necessary to take prescribed pills in a timely manner hygiene procedures and devastate bladder so as not to create additional pressure on the uterus.

In the maternity hospital, after the operation, everyone who has had a cesarean section is prescribed a course of antibiotics for several days, which should prevent the development of inflammation. During the period of healing of the suture on the uterus, hypothermia, lack of personal hygiene are dangerous, and douching is also contraindicated.

Doctors do not recommend using tampons and sanitary pads with scents, since the appearance of an odor is one of the signs of inflammation. The neglected process leads to the formation of enlarged scars and adhesions, due to which the ability to bear a pregnancy may be lost.

In what cases should you consult a doctor?

A woman after a cesarean section should closely monitor her health and in case of any warning signs consult a doctor. The most dangerous thing is the occurrence of bleeding. It may be caused by a violation of the integrity of the suture and urgent surgical intervention will be required. The gynecologist needs to be told how long the illness lasts, when your period will come and how long it lasts.

Untimely discharge is also a reason to undergo examination. You should be wary of both too frequent and heavy periods, the presence of clots, and scanty or complete absence for a long time. An unpleasant smell of discharge is a reason to consult a doctor. Severe pain during menstruation, especially aggravated by movement, may indicate serious internal disorders.

Many women, after the birth of a baby, wonder when should menstruation resume? Regardless of how the birth took place, it takes a certain time to restore the menstrual cycle. When menstruation begins after a cesarean section depends on many factors. Let's find out what is considered normal, and in what case it is worth sounding the alarm.

Childbirth or caesarean section

Currently, operative delivery is quite common. A caesarean section is performed in cases where natural childbirth is not possible or could lead to the death of mother and child. But do not forget that this intervention may cause certain postpartum complications, and the risk to a woman’s health increases several times.

Women also quite often experience psychological discomfort about childbirth that did not take place. naturally. Many people claim that after a cesarean section, women have much less milk than those who gave birth on their own; in fact, this is not the case. The body, in principle, perceives this operation quite natural.

Of course, if there is a possibility of choosing how the birth will take place, then it is worth giving preference to the natural method of childbirth; if surgery is necessary, the woman should prepare in advance for the upcoming event, first of all, morally.

When to expect your period after cesarean section

After the baby is born, the process of involution, that is, reverse development, begins in the woman’s body. During this period, all systems and functions of the body begin to return to normal rhythm. Normalization of menstruation in the postpartum period occurs when when it recovers reproductive function body. In cases where delivery occurred by Caesarean section

A caesarean section is an abdominal operation that can somewhat weaken a woman’s health. For this reason, menstruation may be slightly delayed after it, but lactation has a stronger effect on their arrival.

When will your first period come after a caesarean section?

Resumption monthly cycle after pregnancy is associated with changes in the woman’s hormonal levels. Experts believe that the method of removing the baby has the least influence on when menstruation begins after a cesarean section.

Characteristics of the postoperative period

Surgical intervention to remove the child is accompanied by excision of the walls of the uterus. This is due to the long recovery period after cesarean. After the operation, the uterus contracts slowly compared to natural birth, gradually acquiring its normal size and position. On average, the recovery process lasts about one and a half months. Complete healing of the incision area occurs only two years after the operation. It is at this time that you can plan your next pregnancy.

How long postpartum vaginal discharge lasts depends on the specifics of the particular female body. On average, lochia (vaginal discharge) lasts up to six weeks. Their number and composition changes throughout this period. At first, lochia looks like bloody issues, then they darken and contain clots of coagulated blood. Then their volume decreases, they lighten and after some time become transparent. The operation performed may prolong this process somewhat.

A young mother should be attentive and careful about her health, listen to the symptoms of the body. A woman should not confuse lochia with the onset of menstruation. It is important to choose an acceptable method of contraception for pregnancy, especially if you are not breastfeeding. And when pain appears in the lower abdomen, o

Every month, a woman’s body prepares for a possible pregnancy. This is accompanied by changes in the cardiovascular, reproductive, nervous, digestive and other systems. When pregnancy does occur, these processes work purposefully and provide normal development fetus A pregnant woman's body begins to work completely differently.

After the baby is born, involution occurs in the body. Involution is a process of reverse development. All functions and systems of the body begin to return to normal rhythm. When reproductive function returns to normal, menstruation is restored. You shouldn't plan your next pregnancy right away. You need to give your body a little rest. If a woman gave birth not naturally, but by caesarean section, then the next pregnancy should be planned no earlier than three years later. You shouldn’t do this before, as it can pose a danger to the body. You should definitely think about contraception, even without waiting for your period.

Many women wonder when menstruation occurs after a cesarean section. You need to understand that each body is very individual, and can react differently to surgery after a cesarean section. For different women these may be different periods. Basically, a cesarean section does not indicate the onset of normal menstruation after pregnancy. Just as with natural childbirth, it occurs in a timely manner. After the birth is over and the placenta comes out, the body’s recovery processes begin. From this moment changes in the body begin reverse side. Contractions of the uterus occur, it begins to normal sizes. The uterus begins to become the same size, position and weight as before pregnancy. She drops 1 cm every day

if the first period after cesarean lasts 7 days

When does your period come after a caesarean section?

After a caesarean section, young mothers worry when their first menstruation begins and get nervous if they are absent for a long time. It takes time for the cut tissues to heal after a cesarean section, which means the onset of critical days may be delayed. However, every woman who has survived a caesarean section should monitor her own discharge so that early stages identify endometritis or other diseases and consult a gynecologist in time.

In almost all aspects, after a cesarean section, the body recovers, just like a normal body after childbirth. The production of hormones is normalized, the uterus returns to its previous normal size, the ovaries function again, preparing for the appearance of new offspring.

It is important that after childbirth, a woman in most cases feeds her baby with milk. The duration of breastfeeding a baby is also a factor that determines the onset of menstruation.

As the uterus returns to normal condition, decreasing in size, it contracts and the wound that is located on it begins to bleed. This is evidenced by reddish discharge, which is called lochia. Moreover, lochia, unlike menstruation, appears immediately after the birth of the baby and lasts 6-8 weeks. During this time, they change in nature: initially, the amount of lochia per day can be up to 0.5 liters of blood, while containing clots and having a specific odor. Over time, there are more clots, the blood darkens, and the discharge decreases in quantity. To ensure that recovery after a cesarean section goes faster and lochia does not linger for a long time, you need to follow a number of rules:

Timely emptying of the bladder. In this case, it is impossible to tolerate it because the overfilled bladder puts pressure on the m

Menstruation after cesarean section

Every month, the female body undergoes enormous changes aimed at preparing for a possible pregnancy. The reproductive, endocrine, nervous, cardiovascular and other systems undergo multiple cyclic metamorphoses, which marks the onset of the next menstruation, and all for the sake of future offspring. If in one of the next cycles conception takes place and pregnancy occurs, then all these processes will continue, ensuring the safety of the fetus and its development. The body of the expectant mother will be completely rebuilt and will begin to work in a different mode.

After the birth of a child, many of the changes that occurred in the female body over 9 months return back - involution and reverse development occur. And when reproductive function is restored, menstruation will resume. But this does not mean at all that a woman can become pregnant and give birth again, especially if she had a caesarean section. More precisely, she can, but such an outcome is extremely undesirable and even dangerous. Doctors recommend planning your next pregnancy no earlier than in 3 years. Therefore, you should think about contraception immediately after a cesarean section, without waiting for your first period. However, this is a completely different topic - let’s return to ours.

Women are interested in the question of when menstruation begins after a caesarean section. But here two points should be immediately clarified:

A caesarean section has virtually no effect on the timing of the first menstruation after childbirth; it occurs as with natural childbirth.

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Today G. prescribed metypred 1/4 t per day (17-hydroxyprogesterone is slightly elevated) and duphaston from 16 to 25 DC. Girls, who took these drugs?.. How quickly did you manage to get pregnant?

Every month, a woman’s body prepares for a possible pregnancy. This is accompanied by changes in the cardiovascular, reproductive, nervous, digestive and other systems. When pregnancy does occur, these processes work in a directed manner and ensure the normal development of the fetus. A pregnant woman's body begins to work completely differently.

After the baby is born, involution occurs in the body. Involution is a process of reverse development. All functions and systems of the body begin to return to normal rhythm. When reproductive function returns to normal, menstruation is restored. You shouldn't plan your next pregnancy right away. You need to give your body a little rest. If a woman gave birth not naturally, but by caesarean section, then the next pregnancy should be planned no earlier than three years later. You shouldn’t do this before, as it can pose a danger to the body. You should definitely think about contraception, even without waiting for your period.

Many women wonder when menstruation occurs after. You need to understand that each body is very individual, and can react differently to surgery after a cesarean section. This may be different for different women. Basically, a caesarean section does not indicate the onset of normal menstruation after pregnancy. Just as with natural childbirth, it occurs in a timely manner. After the birth is over and the placenta comes out, the body’s recovery processes begin. From this moment the body begins to change in the opposite direction. Occur, it begins to return to normal size. The uterus begins to become the same size, position and weight as before pregnancy. It drops by 1 cm every day. The recovery process can last from six to eight weeks after childbirth. Sometimes the uterus may even become smaller than before childbirth. This can happen if there is an active . They also gradually begin to recover hormonal functions ovary.

After the birth process, postpartum specific discharge may be observed. They arise due to the fact that the surface of the uterus begins to bleed and the resulting wound heals. Such discharge is called lochia. They can last from six to eight weeks. During this time, these secretions can change their color, intensity, and smell. When the female body is completely restored, the suckers will no longer be released. After the body has returned to its previous state, as before pregnancy, the woman may begin menstruation. Sometimes it happens that after childbirth there is an anovulatory cycle. Ovulation does not occur and pregnancy cannot occur. After a caesarean section, the onset of menstruation in women can be very individual. This may depend on various factors and on the structure of the female body.

These factors include:

Most of all, the onset of menstruation depends on lactation, the absence or presence of breastfeeding. When a woman breastfeeds her baby, her body intensively produces the hormone. It has a positive effect on breast milk production. This hormone suppresses the functioning of hormones in the follicles. For this reason, the ovaries are in an inactive state. The eggs do not mature for fertilization, and naturally, menstruation does not come. But if there are no periods during lactation, this does not mean that they will not occur throughout the entire period. breastfeeding.

There are patterns that gynecologists observe:

  1. If a woman is actively breastfeeding her baby, her period will not come for many months or even a year.
  2. After a caesarean section, menstruation usually occurs after the introduction of the first complementary foods.
  3. If a woman feeds her baby with mixed nutrition, menstruation usually occurs after three or four months.
  4. It happens that after a caesarean section a woman does not breastfeed her baby, then her period begins in the first month as scheduled. This can happen within five to eight months. In this case, menstruation should not occur later than two to three months. This does not mean that you have any abnormalities, but be sure to contact a gynecologist, he should examine you. If six months after the start of your period your cycle has not returned to normal and your periods are irregular, consult a doctor.

Sometimes it happens that after childbirth, some women become regular, their periods are painless and timely, and the discharge is less intense. You should also consult a doctor in the following cases:

  • If menstruation does not begin within three months after childbirth, if the woman does not breastfeed the baby;
  • If your period lasts more than six days or about one or two days;
  • If the menstrual flow is heavy, or, conversely, very scanty;
  • If at the beginning or end of menstruation you observe;
  • If menstrual discharge has a very unpleasant and pungent odor;
  • If within six months after the first menstruation after childbirth, its onset is not regular.

Remember that after childbirth, your body simply needs to recover. Eat well, rest, keep yourself calm, healthy sleep. Do everything to help your body return to its previous state faster. Be healthy!

Many women, after the birth of a baby, wonder when should menstruation resume? Regardless of how the birth took place, it takes a certain time to restore the menstrual cycle. When menstruation begins after a cesarean section depends on many factors. Let's find out what is considered normal, and in what case it is worth sounding the alarm.

Currently, operative delivery is quite common. A caesarean section is performed in cases where natural childbirth is not possible or could lead to the death of mother and child. But we should not forget that this intervention can cause certain postpartum complications, and the risk to a woman’s health increases several times.

Women also quite often experience psychological discomfort about childbirth that did not take place naturally. Many people claim that after a cesarean section, women have much less milk than those who gave birth on their own; in fact, this is not the case. The body, in principle, perceives this operation quite naturally.

Of course, if there is a possibility of choosing how the birth will take place, then it is worth giving preference to the natural method of childbirth; if surgery is necessary, the woman should prepare in advance for the upcoming event, first of all, morally.

When to expect your period after cesarean section

After the baby is born, the process of involution, that is, reverse development, begins in the woman’s body. During this period, all systems and functions of the body begin to return to normal rhythm. Normalization of menstruation in the postpartum period occurs when when the reproductive function of the body is restored. In the case where delivery took place by cesarean section, the onset of another pregnancy is not recommended for three years, so women who have undergone such an operation should be especially careful about the issue of contraception even before the first menstruation appears.

It is in principle impossible to give an unambiguous answer to the question of when menstruation comes after a caesarean section. In many ways, the onset of menstruation after surgical intervention depends on the individual characteristics of a particular female body, therefore for different women the timing of the appearance of the first menstruation after cesarean section is different.

After the end of labor and the birth of the placenta, the body begins to recover. The uterus contracts, and gradually takes on the same size, weight, and position as before pregnancy, lowering by about a centimeter per day. The uterine repair process usually takes about 7 weeks. In some cases, the size of the uterus after childbirth may decrease - this happens when a woman intensively breastfeeds her baby. The functions of the ovaries are also restored gradually.

Both after cesarean section and after natural childbirth appear specific secretions called lochia. They stop by the time the uterus is restored, that is, about a month or two after birth. The intensity, color and odor of this discharge may vary throughout the recovery of the uterus. Do not confuse postpartum discharge with menstruation; it appears as a result of bleeding of the uterus and goes away as it heals.

After termination postpartum discharge A woman may begin menstruation, however, quite often ovulation does not occur in the first menstrual cycle, therefore, pregnancy is impossible, however, even here we should not forget about the characteristics and individual structure of each female body.

The timing of the first menstruation after the birth of a child does not depend in any way on how the birth took place. After a cesarean section, your period begins at about the same time as after a natural birth.

Factors influencing the restoration of menstruation include:

  • the course of pregnancy;
  • lifestyle of a young mother;
  • individual characteristics body;
  • age;
  • the presence of certain diseases;
  • Mommy’s psychological state, her emotional state;
  • quality of food and rest;
  • presence of lactation.

Lactation has the greatest influence on when menstruation comes after a cesarean section. Menstruation recovers faster with artificial feeding, while in nursing women a special hormone, prolactin, suppresses ovarian activity.

If a woman is breastfeeding , then menstruation may not begin even in the first year after childbirth, so if you do not have menstruation after cesarean for a long time, but you are breastfeeding, there is no need to worry.

If a woman does not feed her child , then menstruation should begin no later than 3 months after birth. At mixed feeding No menstruation is allowed for up to four months.

Which menstruation should you be wary of?

After a caesarean section, women are advised to undergo an examination by a gynecologist 1.5-2 months after birth. As a rule, an ultrasound is prescribed to examine the suture on the uterus and an examination is carried out on a chair, smears are taken.

It is also worth visiting a gynecologist if, 6 months after the start of menstruation, a regular cycle has not been established, although most women after childbirth note that the cycle becomes more even than before pregnancy, and premenstrual pain is less pronounced.

A longer recovery of the body, and, consequently, a longer absence of menstruation, can be observed in women whose bodies are weakened, as well as in mothers after 30 years, if the pregnancy proceeded with complications.

You should immediately see a doctor if your periods after a cesarean section are heavy or, on the contrary, too scanty, long-lasting (more than 6 days) or short-term (lasting a couple of days). You should also be concerned about menstruation, having bad smell– this may indicate a genital infection.

Long-lasting daub after the end of menstruation or before its start is considered abnormal.

Pregnancy and childbirth are quite stressful for the female body, so in some cases the recovery process can be delayed. In order to quickly establish all the functions of the body, do not forget to eat varied and regularly, spend time outdoors more often, be sure to get enough sleep, try to avoid anxiety and stress - all these tips will help not only to recover in postpartum period, but will also contribute to good lactation, which is important for a young mother and her baby.

Remember that any alarming symptoms: absence of menstruation, pain, discomfort lower abdomen is a reason to visit a doctor. Don't forget that a caesarean section is surgical intervention, so be attentive to your body!

  • Stages
  • Recovery
  • The question of restoring the menstrual cycle after childbirth is always quite complex and controversial. Especially many questions arise for women who gave birth by caesarean section. The discharge takes a long time; it is not always clear whether your period has already begun or not and when to expect it. In this article we will talk about the features of restoring the menstrual cycle after a cesarean section.

    Recovery time

    During pregnancy, a woman's body produces a large number of the hormone progesterone, which helps her bear a child. After childbirth, progesterone decreases to a minimum, other hormones come to the forefront - oxytocin and prolactin. The first helps the uterus to involute to its previous size and shrink, the second promotes the formation of lactation for feeding the baby.

    The onset of menstruation is a 90% hormonal process, and only in minor degree it depends on the restoration of tissues and cells of the uterus, its epithelium. As soon as hormonal background will return to normal, the ovaries will begin to work, which during pregnancy were suppressed by hormones and the maturation of new eggs did not occur, menstruation will definitely begin.

    No doctor can tell you the exact time of menstruation, since the process of hormonal regulation and the individual characteristics of one postpartum woman are completely different from the analogous criteria of another.

    Most often, in women who do not breastfeed for some reason and their babies are bottle-fed, it does not have any effect on the body. long action prolactin, and therefore their menstruation is more predictable. They come when the uterine cavity is cleared of lochia and hormones begin to be released according to the usual pattern: follicle-stimulating - luteal - progesterone - estrogen. Most often, the first menstruation in the absence of breastfeeding begins 2-3 months after surgery.

    With nursing mothers, everything is not so simple, and we will talk about this in more detail below.

    Discharge after surgery - what is it?

    What many women mistakenly call menstruation after childbirth is called “lochia” in medical parlance. They are released from the moment of birth for 6-8 weeks, regardless of the type of birth - natural or surgical. After a caesarean section, however, lochia usually takes a little longer to be released.

    Menstrual blood is epithelial cells that have grown in anticipation of embryo implantation, but in its absence are rejected by the body. IN monthly fluid a lot of enzymes, special substances, cervical mucus, intrauterine fluid. Lochia is blood that is released from the placental wound. After separation of the placenta, which is fused with the uterus by blood vessels, a wound is inevitable, and unlike incisions, it cannot be sutured.

    Blood clots in the lochia are a sign of the onset of blood clotting on the wound surface. After 5-6 days, ichor appears in the discharge after the operation, and after a week - mucus. Typically, two months after a cesarean section, the discharge becomes normal.

    With the end of hatching, the uterus shrinks to its normal size and weighs about 50-70 grams. Her cavity is cleaned. Theoretically, she is ready to conceive again, but this readiness is signaled by the arrival of regular menstruation. It is clear that in no case is it necessary to become pregnant right away, because the process of restoring the scar on the uterus is longer and very important for bearing the next baby. This is simply a fact that nature intended, and nothing more.

    Differences from normal menstruation

    It is impossible to confuse lochia and regular periods. There is always a fairly large time gap between them. If the postpartum discharge ends, and after a couple of days it starts with renewed vigor, then this is not menstruation, but a possible postoperative complication, infection, inflammation, impaired contractility of the uterus, problems with scar healing.

    Menstruation occurs largely spontaneously. The cycle will no longer be the same as before pregnancy, the day of menstruation will change. The discharge during the first menstruation may be more scanty than it was before pregnancy. This is due to the physiological depletion of the internal functional layer of the uterus - the endometrium. The first menstruation may last a couple of days less for the same reason. But already a month after it, with repeated menstruation, the cycle will gradually begin to level out and return to the woman’s usual parameters of duration, frequency, abundance of discharge and the presence or absence of premenstrual syndrome.

    What influences?

    In addition to hormonal and rehabilitation factors that affect the restoration of the menstrual cycle, Other circumstances also influence the timing of the onset of menstruation.

    • Psychological state of the postpartum mother. In a depressed woman, in a state of postpartum depression, the cycle takes much longer to recover.
    • Age. In young girls menstrual cycle after a cesarean section, recovery is several times faster than in women who gave birth after 35 years.
    • Lifestyle. Chronic lack of sleep, malnutrition and vitamin deficiency in the body, anemia, smoking and alcohol intake can significantly delay the recovery of the female cycle.
    • Taking medications. If a woman is in force various reasons After the operation I was treated with antibiotics for a long time, hormonal drugs, took anticonvulsants, you should not count on the early arrival of menstruation.

    Women who are breastfeeding start their periods later than those who are not breastfeeding. The problem is the hormone prolactin, which is produced during lactation and is part of breast milk. And in this, women who gave birth themselves and those who underwent a delivery operation are no different. Prolactin has a pronounced suppressive effect on the production of progesterone, and without this hormone the ovaries cannot function fully. Thus, the maturation and release of the egg from the follicle does not occur, and there are no periods.

    The more often the baby suckles, the more often the mother feeds the baby on demand, the more prolactin is produced and the more long term restoration of the menstrual cycle may be delayed.

    At about six months, the mother, on the advice of the pediatrician, begins to add complementary foods to the baby. Breast milk begins to be consumed in smaller quantities, which leads to a decrease in its formation and a decrease in prolactin. Progesterone begins to gradually regain its rights, and approximately a couple of months after the start of complementary feeding, menstruation begins (the timing is quite arbitrary).

    In women whose babies are mixed-fed from birth ( breast milk+ adapted milk formula), menstruation begins earlier - up to six months after the operation. Those who are against complementary feeding and prefer to breastfeed their child until one year old may not see their period for more than a year.

    When should you see a doctor?

    The reason for contacting a doctor and looking for the causes of disorders may be the absence of menstruation for six months if a woman does not breastfeed, or for a year if she breastfeeds and uses complementary foods for baby food.

    The first 2-3 cycles after the onset of menstruation may be somewhat irregular. But if within six months from the first menstruation the cycle has not become regular, you should definitely consult a doctor.

    You should also go to the doctor if your periods after a cesarean section are very painful, are difficult, with an increase in temperature, deterioration in well-being, severe pain in the lower back and lower abdomen. You should also be wary of unusual discharge - menstrual discharge with foam, a strong unpleasant odor, the presence of large blood clots– all this needs examination and treatment.

    About contraception

    The absence of menstruation after a cesarean section during breastfeeding is not a method of contraception. The fact is that a woman cannot feel or notice the moment at which progesterone will begin to be produced again due to a slight fluctuation in prolactin levels. And it is at this moment that the first egg after childbirth can begin to mature. Lack of contraception at this point can lead to an unplanned pregnancy.

    Women following a caesarean section are advised to avoid such situations. at least 2 years. This is important for the complete formation of a scar on the uterus, for the restoration of the entire body as a whole. Even abortions during these two years will have an extremely negative impact on the internal scar. negative impact, and therefore it may be inconsistent and heterogeneous.

    With such a scar, it will then be more difficult to get pregnant, more difficult to carry a child to term, since the likelihood of miscarriage, low abnormal attachment of the placenta, fetoplacental insufficiency and delayed fetal development increases. A thin and incompetent scar will not allow a woman to give birth to a second baby on her own after the first caesarean section, she will have to repeat operation. It may not be able to withstand it and break apart while the baby is gestating, and this can be fatal for both the fetus and the mother.