After nine months of pregnancy and giving birth to our baby, it is time to be a mother and, with it, a new stage that we popularly know as quarantine although it also has the name of puerperium. Quarantine is a stage that begins just after delivery and that consists precisely of a period where the woman physiologically recovers from this moment where she brings her baby into the world. This period has a approximate duration of 6 weeks until the woman’s body returns to its natural state, ending once menstruation reappears.
It is precisely amenorrhea and the reappearance of menstruation after childbirth one of the issues that most concern women who have recently become mothers: “When will I have menstruation again?” or “How long does the period last after quarantine?“These are some of the questions that arise. If you want to resolve these doubts, keep reading this oneHOWTO article where we explain some things about your first menstrual period after having passed the puerperium stage.
What is quarantine and postpartum bleeding
It is normal for some women after giving birth to have vaginal bleeding, also known as postpartum bleeding, which can be confused with menstruation. However, if the menstrual period is a physiological process where the woman expels the ovum that has not been fertilized through her vagina, postpartum bleeding is a process where we eliminate the remains of the placenta that have remained after having given birth.
But how do I distinguish the rule of postpartum bleeding that occurs in the quarantine? Mainly for the duration of each one. While postpartum bleeding that occurs during quarantine has a approximate duration between 6 and 8 weeks After having conceived the newborn, menstruation usually lasts between 3 and 7 days depending on each woman.
In addition to the time, they are also differentiated by the color of the bleeding: the rule is usually dark red (although sometimes it can become orange or brown, depending on each woman). However, the bleeding that occurs in the quarantine initially has a very bright red tone and during the last days it becomes duller until it acquires a pinkish tone.
You may also be interested in this other article about Can I have sex in quarantine?
When will I have my first period after giving birth
It is also common for new mothers who have just given birth to wonder when their first period will arrive after giving birth. However, this is not an exact science, as this process will be determined by various factors, especially from breastfeeding.
The production of breast milk is determined by a hormone that we know as prolactin, which is also related to others such as estrogen and progesterone, substances that are responsible, among other things, for regulating our menstrual period. However, while before childbirth the amounts of prolactin are inhibited by an excess of sex hormones, after having conceived just the opposite happens: that the levels of progesterone and estrogens decrease, while those of prolactin rise. This means that with suppressed levels of sex hormones, menstruation will generally be delayed. until after breastfeeding.
Therefore, if the new mother decides to feed her baby only with her breast milk, the rule may appear from 6 months to even 2 years later having given birth. However, if, on the other hand, the infant decided to feed the newborn with formula milk, menstruation could occur as of a month and a half after giving birth, since by not stimulating the production of prolactin, the hormonal levels estrogen and progesterone would return to normal.
How long does it take for your period to come after breastfeeding
Once we already know when our first period could drop after the quarantine period, it is also normal that we have certain doubts about how long it can last or if it will have (or not) the same characteristics as a normal menstruation, that is, as before having been pregnant.
Although each woman is different, generally the first rules after having a newborn are not usually the same as those we had before, since, due to the hormonal changes that occur both in pregnancy and later in childbirth and quarantine, it will take a few months to become regular again. Thus, it is normal for you to have delays in your period after delivery.
How is the first period after childbirth
If you wonder what the period is like and how long after quarantine, here are the characteristics that the first menstruations usually have after childbirth:
- Irregular cycles: that is, it does not appear with a similar interval during all months. If the regular cycles usually last between 28 and 30 days, the irregular ones usually last 35 days while other months 21 days.
- The duration of the period after quarantine is usually between 2 days and a week, while in a regular cycle it is usually 3 to 6 days. That is, the first period after delivery is very long.
- The first period after childbirth it is very abundant, so do not panic if your vaginal bleeding is different from before the pregnancy.
- Having premenstrual symptoms such as headaches, light sensitivity, breast tenderness, and digestive problems such as constipation or diarrhea.
Now that you know how long your period lasts after quarantine, you may also be interested in this other article on How to resume sex after childbirth.
This article is merely informative, at oneHOWTO we do not have the power to prescribe any medical treatment or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to How long does your period last after quarantine?, we recommend that you enter our Family Health category.