Postpartum menstrual disorders and how to overcome them

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Dinh Thanh Ha - Obstetrician and Gynecologist - Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vinmec Nha Trang International Hospital
Many people after giving birth often have menstrual disorders and feel anxious. This problem has more or less caused psychological effects of people after giving birth, but this is a very normal sign. So what should you do about menstrual disorders after childbirth?

1. Postpartum menstrual disorder is a common condition

After giving birth, whether vaginal birth or cesarean section, the mother will often temporarily lose her period. Instead, there is a discharge that resembles a period, consisting of blood and the lining tissues of the uterus, called a discharge. It will appear continuously for 2-4 weeks after birth, up to 45 days postpartum.
For women who are breast-feeding formula milk, menstruation takes place about 2-3 months after giving birth. Meanwhile, for those who breastfeed, their period will appear after about 6-8 months. Even after weaning, many women see their period again. However, even when menstruation has returned, it is not stable and may occur.

2. Signs of postpartum menstrual disorders

After giving birth, it usually takes a while for the mother to recover and get her period back to normal. However, if after 1-2 years after giving birth, you still do not see your period or have the following symptoms, you must quickly go to a specialist for examination:
Irregular menstruation, appearing unusually, months have lost months. Menstrual duration is erratic (less than 3 days or more than 7 days), clots, color change, bad smell, too little or too much menstrual blood. Nipple pain, discomfort, body fatigue, back and lower abdominal pain more intense than usual. Lower abdominal pain lasting from 3 to 7 days in a row, accompanied by a feeling of writhing, can be a warning sign of a dangerous postpartum menstrual disorder or related to a gynecological disease. Vaginal area appears painful, itchy, burning, swollen, abnormal bleeding, especially after sex. See now: Menstrual disorders after childbirth: When is it normal, when is it abnormal?

3. Causes of postpartum menstrual disorders

There are many causes of postpartum menstrual disorders as follows:
3.1. Milk secretion to feed the baby After giving birth, the body will have changes to ensure the process of breastfeeding. When breastfeeding, the hormone prolactin in breast milk changes the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, resulting in a menstrual cycle that may be slower than the menstrual cycle of non-breastfeeding women. breastfeeding.
If the cause comes from the secretion of milk to feed the baby, the mother does not need to be too worried, because when the body stops this activity, the menstrual period also returns to normal.
3.2. Psychological instability after childbirth Although giving birth is a sacred duty for women, the period when the baby is born often puts pressure on many mothers. Many women feel anxious and tired because the time is reversed as well as having to take care of their young children, stay up at night, etc. This is also a factor that leads to depression for many mothers after giving birth.
In these cases, it is easy to experience menstrual disorders after giving birth. Menstruation does not appear or has many irregularities, which makes women more worried. However, at this time, a nursing mother needs to be mentally stable, eat well, share the pressure with her husband, ... to reduce stress or find a specialist.
3.3. Hormonal changes After giving birth, a woman's body cannot immediately return to normal, but it takes time to recover. The period when the body is still unstable, especially the amount of hormones in the body is still not equal. This can also be a factor leading to irregular periods after giving birth.
3.4. Gynecological diseases This is one of the indispensable factors leading to postpartum women's menstrual disorders. Regardless of whether a woman has a vaginal birth or a cesarean section, when the baby is born, the mother's body will be very weak and has not completely recovered to its original state. This creates an opportunity for microorganisms to attack and cause disease.
After giving birth, if not carefully cared for and cleaned, gynecological infections are unavoidable. A common symptom when women after giving birth have gynecological diseases is irregular menstruation.

4. How can I overcome postpartum menstrual disorders?

Treatment of postpartum menstrual disorders can be done from the following measures:
- Improve diet, rest and work properly.
- Actively do sports, especially gentle yoga exercises to help relax and lose weight after giving birth.
- Avoid letting yourself fall into a state of stress, stress. Keeping psychologically comfortable, happy, talking with children and family members more to help mothers prevent postpartum depression.
- Absolutely should not use birth control pills because there are many side effects that can disrupt the menstrual cycle after giving birth.
- Limit the use of stimulants such as: alcohol, beer, tobacco,...
- Supplementing with estrogen directly will help treat menstrual disorders after giving birth faster. The hormone supplementation for the body must be in the right way, in the right dose. Therefore, you should consult a specialist before using.
Especially, if the menstrual disorder lasts for a long time, regardless of menstrual disorders after cesarean section or vaginal birth, it can cause unpredictable consequences. In case of need, it is best to go to medical facilities or gynecological clinics for full examination and advice.
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. The 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).

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