Questioni'm wondering how long after birth will you start your period? my daughter is 6 wks old and i bled a little about 2 weeks ago, but it only lasted for about a day and was very lite.my postpartum check up is coming up soon and i cant use birth control until after my first period.so i dont know if that was one or what it was.thank you
AnswerAlisha,
This varies widely from woman to woman and whether or not you breastfeed and for how long. It's completely normal for a woman who's nursing not to resume her cycle for 18 months whereas a non-nursing mother's cycle may resume after a month or as late as 6 months.
It really depends upon how quickly your hormone levels return to their pre-pregnancy state and whether or not your body is ready to sustain another pregnancy. For some women, this is weeks after birth, for others, it's years.
It's entirely possible that the bleeding you had was not a true period, especially if it was light and only for a day.
So, if you are not breastfeeding and your cycle hasn't resumed in 3 months, then your doctor may give you a medication to force your cycle to resume. In the meantime, you can use a barrier method of birth control such as condoms.
Best,
Catherine
