What is Endo Belly and How Can I Get Rid of It?
Endometriosis causes a lot of unpleasant symptoms, with one in particular leading to discomfort and making people think you’re pregnant. Read on to better understand this condition and how to treat it.
How Your Period Can Change After Pregnancy
Your monthly menstrual cycle develops during puberty and begins your reproductive journey into possible motherhood. During this process, the lining of your uterus (the endometrium) sheds in the form of menstrual blood (menses) and travels out of your reproductive system vaginally. This happens every 28 days, unless you become pregnant.
During pregnancy, the body goes through another series of transformations to prepare you for carrying and delivering a child, and once you’ve brought your bundle of joy into the world, it changes yet again. Among the changes after having a baby is your menstrual cycle getting back to normal, but even that can change from what you were used to.
Women of the Las Vegas, Nevada area, trying to understand the menstrual changes after delivering a child, can find help with Dr. Staci McHale and her experienced staff at WHASN Sunset Valley.
What happens to your period once you get pregnant
Your monthly cycle exists to keep your body ready for the possibility of getting pregnant. Once that happens, and the egg from your ovaries is fertilized, the cycle stops. In the early stages of pregnancy, it’s possible to confuse bleeding for your cycle, but when you're pregnant, spotting is possible, and it’s usually a different color (light pink or dark brown).
Other reasons for bleeding during pregnancy include implantation bleeding, cervical changes, infection, the fertilization of an atypical mass (molar pregnancy), ectopic pregnancy (when it occurs external to the uterus), and signs of a possible miscarriage.
When to expect your first period after pregnancy
When your period starts again after being pregnant often depends on whether or not you choose to breastfeed your infant. If you choose to nurse the newborn this way, your period will likely not start until after you stop breastfeeding.
The delay from breastfeeding is due to the hormone produced during this time. When feeding from your breast full-time, you produce more prolactin, which is essential for milk production, but also keeps you from menstruating. Bottle-feeding or a combination of both feeding methods can help your menstrual cycle return at about five weeks after delivery.
Possible long-term changes
It’s entirely possible to have your period return with little to no change in what you’re used to after pregnancy, or even have improved symptoms. It’s also possible to get pregnant quickly after your menstrual cycle starts again, even if you’re breastfeeding full-time.
However, your period can be different in several ways, including heavier flow due to a larger uterine cavity. It can also cause a lighter or no flow, leading to possible complications like Sheehan’s syndrome, causing pituitary gland problems due to hypotension or severe blood loss, or Asherman’s syndrome resulting from scar tissue in your uterus.
Once your period returns after pregnancy, you should make an appointment with Dr. McHale and WHASN Sunset Valley to evaluate any changes and ensure everything is healthy.
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