how i got my cycle back postpartum while breastfeeding
i’ve always dreamt of having kids close together in age, so when Foster was born, it didn’t take long for me to be ready to start trying for baby #2! though we stopped preventing when Foster was 3 months old, i didn’t have my cycle back yet, & the months of waiting for it to come back were truthfully really hard for me. i had no idea it could take so long for my cycle to return. looking back, it really wasn’t that long but it FELT long to me since i was so eager to at least be able to TRY to conceive again - & obviously the first step is ovulation.
if you’re in this spot, i’m sending you sooo much love & warmth because i KNOW it is tough. i know what it’s like to calculate the age gaps with each month that passes & being SURE you’re having ovulation pains & then feeling a little crazy for caring so much. this season was very mentally tough on me & honestly a lot of times i felt silly for it. so i just want to share that so you know you are not alone & i am hoping & believing with & for you! i’ve gotten dozens upon dozens of messages from women saying they too are waiting for their fertility to return postpartum & really struggling - so again - you are not alone <3
just before a year postpartum, i started researching & trying different ways to get my cycle back. it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what worked for me, or predict what will or will not work for anyone else, but it was so helpful to me to hear about others’ experiences, so i figured i’d share mine in hopes that it helps one of you! i truly believe a combination of these things helped me start ovulating again. for perspective, i was still nursing my 1 year old daughter Foster at the time multiple times during the day & throughout the night. many people will claim “you can’t get your cycle back until your stop breastfeeding” but that wasn’t an option for me because i wasn’t ready to wean her. when i eventually got my cycle back 14 months PP, i was still nursing during the day & night so it CAN be done.
it’s worth noting, most breastfeeding moms will resume their periods between 9 & 18 months after their baby's birth!
***DISCLAIMER: i’m not a doctor, nor do i give any of this as suggestions of medical advice! this is simply my experience.
daily protocol
after two months of this daily protocol…i ovulated for the first time at 14 months postpartum!
+ 2 PRENATAL VITAMINS // with folic acid (this is super important). i use the baby & me brand. beef liver is another great option! you can take beef liver in place of the prenatal or alongside it. i prefer this brand — ABIGAIL10 will give you 10% off!
+ 12oomg OF VITEX // otherwise known as chaste berry. pills work, but the tincture is supposed to be more effective. mountain rose herbs is the brand i used!
+ 2 B COMPLEX VITAMINS // among other things, b6 helps elevate & balance levels of estrogen & progesterone, aka the two most important pregnancy hormones. i love young living’s super b vitamin but this option from amazon is great too!
+ 2500mg MACA ROOT // maca is a superfood that helps balance your hormones! i buy these capsules on amazon, but you can also get a powder to add to smoothies, etc.
another option
before trying the above protocol, i took a supplement called Soy Isoflavones. it’s known to be “natural clomid” & can often trigger ovulation. make sure you get the non-gmo kind! this supplement ALMOST made me ovulate two months in a row but it wasn’t quite enough for me. my ovulation strips got darker than they had been PP, but not QUITE there. however - soy isoflavones were enough to trigger ovulation in a handful of PP friends! this has a lot of info on how they actually work.
how to use them: take 2 (60mg pills) for 5 days straight & begin testing for ovulation on day 6! these are the ovulation strips i use.
if ovulation doesn’t occur, wait a couple weeks & try again (but avoid taking them more than 5 days in a row!) again i am not a doctor but i think it would be fine to do the soy isoflavones protocol AND the above daily protocol of the prenatals, etc at the same time! i plan to do this next time i’m trying to get my cycle back postpartum.
LENGTHENING THE LUTEAL PHASE
one thing (of manyyyy) that takes time to even out postpartum is the length of different phases of your cycle. specifically, breastfeeding significantly shortens the luteal phase, the phase between ovulation & when your period would begin. for this reason, breastfeeding is sometimes considered ‘natural birth control,’ since a short luteal phase means less time for a potential egg to implant, & less time for progesterone levels to rise. my luteal phase was only 4-8 days for my first few periods, & ideally you want a MINIMUM of 10 days, 14 days being ideal.
i wasn’t ready to stop breastfeeding Foster when we started trying, so here’s what i did to try to lengthen my luteal phase while breastfeeding:
+ continuing the daily protocol above! specifically prenatal vitamins & vitamin b
+ vitamin c - shown to help lengthen the luteal phase & thicken the uterine lining! i buy this brand from amazon.
+ fertility tea - need i say more? mountain rose herbs wise woman tea is what i drank! 1-2 cups a day hot or iced.
my luteal phase went from 4 days, to 6 days, to 10 days, to PREGNANT on the following cycle!
massage & acupuncture
the other two things i tried & would recommend are acupuncture & mayan abdominal massages! they can both be great for trying to optimize fertility. i actually did both the cycle i conceived! mayan abdominal massage sounds odd, but is truly SO nice, i’d totally recommend it! just google it in your area & go to someone highly reviewed.
like i said, this process will look totally different for each individual person! if you tried some of these methods (or others!), comment below with what worked for you so we can all help each other out :)
i have heard from many women that working out intensely kept their period from coming back PP so that’s another thing to take note of. try walks & light exercise, & make sure you are nourishing your body well with enough calories, esp if you’re nursing!
& one final note - wherever you are in your fertility journey, know that you’re not alone. i know how lonely & disappointing it can feel when you’re trying to get pregnant. you are seen & loved in the midst of it all, & you have a whole community of folks (including me!) who have walked through this too & are cheering you on!
links below:
