Did you know your menstrual cycle can affect your milk supply? Here’s what to expect when it comes to your menstrual cycle and breastfeeding. 

A Deeper Look:

When Will Your Menstrual Cycle Return?

For non-breastfeeding mamas, resumption of their menstrual cycle usually occurs 4-6 weeks postpartum.  When mamas nurse on a limited basis, they may find their menstrual cycle returns 2-3 weeks postpartum.  For mamas who full-time nurse, including at night, the first menstrual cycle may not occur until somewhere between 6-18 months.  In some cases, going more than 4 hours between milk removals during the day and six hours at night can encourage your ovulation cycle to resume.  Additionally, some hormone birth controls can induce a menstrual cycle to return earlier.

According to the La Leche League International, pumping is not as effective as nursing at suppressing ovulation and thus the menstrual cycle, so these generalities may not be as applicable to EPers.  However, I have discussed my experience in the EPandMe Take below, which mirrored that of a full-time nursing mama.

How is the Return of the Menstrual Cycle Connected to Breastfeeding Habits? 

Well, the hormone prolactin encourages the production of milk.  The more regularly a mama pumps and empties her breasts, the higher her levels of prolactin are.  High prolactin levels inhibit the hormone that triggers ovulation, effectively suppressing the menstrual cycle.  Although this post is not about fertility or breastfeeding as a contraceptive, it’s still worth noting that it is possible to ovulate before your period returns.  

What Happens When It Returns

In the days before your menstrual cycle starts and the first few days during, you may notice a decrease in your milk supply, slower let-downs, and nipple soreness.  These changes are likely due to a change in hormones and a decrease in blood calcium levels and are usually temporary.  

Although milk production may decrease due to changes in hormones, sometimes the return of your period is a symptom and not the root cause.  For example, if you dropped pump sessions recently, went longer without pumping, or did not remove as much milk as usual, your prolactin levels may have decreased and triggered the return of fertility and menstruation. 

For more information on how to increase milk production, click here.

If you believe the dip in your milk production is related to your menstrual cycle, rather than pumping habits, the good news is that you can potentially prevent the dip altogether by taking a calcium magnesium supplement.  In additional to preventing the dip in supply, the supplement should decrease your nipple soreness.  If this sounds like something you’re interested in, talk to your healthcare professional about taking such a supplement.

What To Ask About?

Many of the sources I reviewed suggested a daily dose of a calcium and magnesium supplement (1000mg/500mg respectively) that is taken around the middle of your cycle through the first 3 days of your period.  For many, taking the supplement often helped within 24 hours of ingesting it.  Additionally, one source stated calcium was absorbed most efficiently when taking no more than 500mg at a time, so you may want to ask your healthcare professional about whether dividing your dose is necessary.

More Interesting Information About Your Menstrual Cycle and Breastfeeding

The Nursing Mother’s Companion suggests limiting your salt intake several days before your period is due if you are prone to breast infections premenstrually.  The book explains a high salt intake may increase susceptibility to breast infection, which may be connected to a mama’s water retention just before her period.

Using hormone contraceptives, especially the combination pill, is not advised because it can reduce your milk production and that decrease in supply can be hard to recover from.  However, according to La Leche League International, after 6 months the possibility of hormonal methods of birth control affecting your supply is lower.  

The EP&Me Take:

Although the timeframe in which a mama’s cycle can return is taken from breastfeeding mothers who are nursing, it is not necessary inapplicable to EPers.  I am one example of an EPer whose menstrual cycle did not return until I had fully weaned at approximately 13 months.  If I had to speculate, I would attribute this to the fact that I pumped on a regimented schedule, did not make any sudden changes to my schedule, practiced hands-on pumping, and made sure to thoroughly empty my breasts of milk. 

Of course, everybody’s body is different, and not all EPers will have the same experience.  But I want you to know that as long as you are pumping in a way that fully provides the milk your baby needs, there is no reason to assume your period will return in the first few postpartum months just because you are EPing.

Perhaps whether your period returns sooner or later does not matter to some mamas, but for this mama, my period was just one more thing I didn’t want to deal with—I had enough going on in those early months!  And I’ll be honest, I had heard the first period postpartum could feel brutal, and I was a bit wary of it.  For me, it actually was more mild than pre-pregnancy, but that also could have something to do with the D&C I had a week following labor due to complications.  I’ll never know!

But anyway, because my menstrual cycle did not return until I had fully weaned, I have no personal experience with the efficacy of taking a calcium magnesium supplement.  If any mama out there has tried taking a calcium magnesium supplement to combat a dip in milk production related to their menstrual cycle, did it work for you? I would love to know.  Until next time mama!