Menstrual disorders after childbirth: When is it normal, when is it abnormal?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor I Nguyen Thi Man - Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology - Vinmec International Hospital Da Nang.
After giving birth and breastfeeding in the first 1-2 years, the mother's menstrual period may be erratic, such as: no month, early next month, late next month. The amount of menstrual blood is also irregular, sometimes a lot, sometimes a little, the menstrual color changes to bright red, brown or dark black. In addition, it is easy to encounter cases of menstrual pain, prolonged menorrhagia... So when is postpartum menstrual disorder abnormal?

1. Why are there menstrual disorders after giving birth?

Women may return to their periods 6 weeks after giving birth because their bodies have returned to their pre-pregnancy state. Hormones such as progesterone, estrogen, and human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) also returned to normal levels. However, the time it takes for a woman to start menstruating again after giving birth depends heavily on factors such as breastfeeding, hormone levels, and lifestyle. However, many women have irregular menstrual cycles after giving birth, but this is completely normal, and mothers do not need to be too worried.
Causes of irregular menstrual periods after giving birth is because pregnancy causes many changes in a woman's body. Not only must the body grow to nourish the fetus, but also make breast milk afterward. All of this happens because of hormones.
In addition, if you have had a hormone imbalance in the past, you are also likely to experience irregular periods after giving birth. Hormonal imbalances often occur in the first few months after giving birth because the body has not fully recovered. Menstrual cycles can be irregular and come out more than usual for 3 to 4 months.
Breastfeeding is completely capable of inhibiting ovulation as well as delaying menstruation. Women who are exclusively breastfeeding can have their periods again after 6 months or even later. Women who are not breastfeeding can get their period after about 6 weeks.

The pressure when taking care of a young child when the mother's body has not really recovered completely causes many women to experience constant stress, stress themselves, can be angry, bored, causing endocrine hormone disruption, affecting reproductive health, menstrual disorders.

2. Signs of postpartum menstrual disorders

The cycle of the menstrual cycle is unusual. The most obvious sign is the number of days of menstruation. A normal menstrual cycle is 28 to 32 days. Menstrual cycle occurs from 3 to 7 days depending on the location of each person. Therefore, those with a cycle less than 28 or more than 32 days, bleeding time less than 3 days or more than 7 days, you have irregular menstrual cycle postpartum.
Menstrual blood clots or is unusually black The phenomenon of black clotted menstrual blood combined with menstruation appearing late, month or month can also cause menstrual disorders.
After giving birth, the period is too long. For women who have had a caesarean section, their period will return after 2-3 months, and it will take longer than 6 months to 1 year for a normal birth. If you haven't had your period for 1 or 2 years after giving birth, then you definitely have a menstrual disorder after giving birth.
Severe abdominal pain Women coming to the menstrual cycle often present with abdominal pain before and during the first day. Women after giving birth suffer a lot of pain after giving birth, perhaps menstrual pain for them is no longer scary. Therefore, any mother who feels the pain is struggling, intense, writhing and unable to do anything, it is also a sign of menstrual cycle disorder after giving birth.
Nipple pain Nipple pain or nipple tightness is a manifestation of an endocrine disorder, which is synonymous with menstrual cycle disturbances. This is a common expression for people with menstrual cycle disorders, not just women after giving birth.
In addition, when the body feels tired, you will not be eager to do anything, back pain, headache attached.

3. When is postpartum menstrual disorder normal or abnormal?

Irregular menstrual periods in mothers after giving birth and breastfeeding are normal physiological phenomena. However, if they are accompanied by the following abnormal signs, you should see a doctor immediately:
Menstrual duration lasts from 8-14 days, heavy bleeding, blood clots , dark in color... This could be a warning sign that the mother has damage to the endometrial wall, inflammation of the reproductive organs. Vaginal blood is mottled between periods, has an unpleasant odor, maybe you suffering from some dangerous gynecological diseases. Vaginal itching, discomfort, pain during sex

After giving birth for 2 years, if you still have this condition, it is best to go to a medical facility for examination and treatment because it may be a sign of a disease in the female body. If you do not experience the above symptoms, you can rest assured, there is no need to be too worried. Because it's just the hormonal changes in the body of mothers after giving birth and breastfeeding.

4. How to cure menstrual disorders after giving birth

Creating a healthy lifestyle is an effective way to treat postpartum menstrual disorders; Improve diet, sleep and work properly; Actively doing sports, especially gentle yoga exercises to help ease the mind and lose weight after giving birth; Avoid letting yourself fall into a state of stress, stress,...; Keeping psychologically comfortable, happy, chatting with children and family members more to help mothers prevent postpartum depression; Absolutely do not use birth control pills because it has many side effects that can disrupt your menstrual cycle after giving birth; Limit the use of stimulants such as: alcohol, beer, tobacco,...; Direct estrogen supplementation will help treat menstrual disorders after childbirth faster. The hormone supplementation for the body must be in the right way, in the right dose. Therefore, you should consult a specialist. Postpartum menstrual disorders are normal physiological phenomena, if they are not accompanied by abnormal signs such as: vaginal odor, unpleasant itching, burning pain during sex... then you are not need to worry. But it's best to see a doctor to rule out some other possibilities such as thyroid disorders, cancer, ... which can be life-threatening if left to last.
At the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology - Vinmec International General Hospital with a team of experienced obstetricians and gynecologists is a prestigious address for you to visit and dispel worries about abnormal postpartum menstruation in particular. , as well as general gynecological problems. For comprehensive health care and advice, you can refer to the basic gynecological screening package. This package includes a gynecological examination, an ultrasound of the uterus and ovaries, a complete urinalysis and other necessary tests, helping to detect inflammatory diseases early for easy and inexpensive treatment. Screening for early detection of gynecological cancer (cervical cancer)