No matter what the newly made mothers may say, any pregnancy proceeds with difficulties, but the absence of menstruation for as long as 9 months, or maybe longer, is a huge plus. But you can not argue with nature, the female cycle is restored, and, alas, menstruation resumes. But only sometimes their character may slightly differ from the usual. For example, often women note that the first menstruation after childbirth is very plentiful or vice versa scarce. This norm or deviation, we will analyze in this article.
Postpartum discharge
Immediately after the birth of the baby and rejection of the placenta, uterine bleeding begins. They are not connected with menstruation in any way and in medicine such discharge is called lochia. The duration of Lochia depends on many factors, such as: complications during pregnancy, the physiology of a woman, labor, breastfeeding, etc. On average, these secretions last about 2 months.
In the first days after birth, a woman loses a lot of blood, because in the place where the placenta was attached, there is now a wound. From how soon it will heal will envy the duration of the discharge. Therefore, heavy bleeding in the first days after birth is the norm. Naturally, you should be alerted if you do not have time to change the gaskets, and the sheet or diaper is very dirty. In this case, it is necessary to immediately inform the doctor about this.
Gradually, the lochia will change the consistency and color. Within a week, the discharge will not be bloody, but lighter. If after 2-3 weeks, that is, after the lochia has a light shade, bleeding will begin again, you must definitely see a doctor, mistakenly think that these are menstruation.
When to wait for the first period after the birth of a baby
The menstrual cycle, in fact, is a guarantee of the health of the woman's reproductive system. So that a woman can ovulate again after childbirth, first of all, the body as a whole and the uterus in particular must recover. This process for each woman in labor may last a different time, but on average it takes about two months to fully recover.
The resumption of the menstrual cycle is influenced by factors such as:
- Lactation. The fact is that when a woman breast-feeds a baby, the hormone prolactin is produced, which inhibits the reproductive system, thereby preventing menstruation. In non-breastfeeding women, the cycle is restored much earlier.
- Psychological state.
- Complications during pregnancy and childbirth.
- The age of a woman.
- Lifestyle (food, good rest).
How soon the menstrual cycle will recover
Even the fact that you already had your first periods does not indicate that your menstrual cycle has fully recovered. Perhaps for some time the cycle will be irregular, and the volume of blood lost will differ each time. So, for example, usually after childbirth the first menstruation is very plentiful, but can be very scarce, which leads women to confusion.
Full recovery can be discussed only six months after the start of the first menstruation. If during this period of time the cycle has not normalized and continues to skip, hormonal failure probably occurred and you should go to the gynecologist.
In any case, you should remain calm, your body has suffered a tremendous load during the bearing of the baby and childbirth, so problems such as very abundant first months after childbirth are physiological in nature and are usually easily treated.
The first periods after childbirth are very plentiful: normal or pathological?
So what is the cause of abundant menstruation after childbirth? The sources of such unpleasant symptoms can be many factors. The doctor may first of all ask you how the birth took place, while you gave birth yourself or did a cesarean section. Usually complicated labor is the primary reason why the first menstruation after childbirth is very plentiful.
The second most popular cause of this problem may be the general condition of the woman. If there were any chronic diseases before pregnancy, then you should not be surprised if after the birth the first menstruation is very plentiful and does not end long.
Thirdly, cases of heavy menstruation after birth injuries or inflammatory processes of the reproductive system are not uncommon. Remains of unexcited placenta can also be the result of severe bleeding.
When should I sound the alarm?
For starters, you should distinguish heavy menstruation from bleeding. In the first case, we are talking about regular periods, but with the difference that the duration of the discharge is slightly longer than usual or, for example, is spent on a pair of pads more than the rest of the time. Such menstruation, although unpleasant, but does not pose a significant danger. Enough to relax and spend time in the fresh air.
It is quite another thing if menstruation lasts more than 7 days, while a woman loses a lot of blood, as a result of which a weakened state of the whole organism is observed, nausea and drowsiness appear. If after childbirth the first menstruation is very plentiful and this is accompanied by severe pain and blood clots, you should immediately consult a doctor. Hospitalization and even curettage of the uterine cavity may be necessary.
Signs of Iron Deficiency Anemia
Abundant and frequent blood loss is not only unpleasant, but also extremely life-threatening. If you do not take action, nothing good will have to wait. We all know that the blood contains iron, and its excessive loss can lead to anemia - a condition that requires immediate treatment.
Thus, the very abundant first menstruation after childbirth is primarily fraught with the development of iron deficiency anemia.
The following symptoms clearly indicate excessive blood loss and a dangerous condition of a woman:
- headaches, migraine;
- tachycardia;
- lack of air;
- nausea;
- dizziness.
In addition to the above, many note irritability and aggression in themselves. It is extremely dangerous to take any medications containing iron on your own. Treatment should be carried out strictly under the supervision of a doctor, and in some cases even in a hospital setting. You can use traditional medicine recipes, but with great care.
Secretions with clots
Bleeding with clots immediately after childbirth is quite normal. This uterus, contracting, as if pushes out the remnants of the vital activity of the fetus, thereby returning to its original state. Typically, such discharges occur at the time of being in the maternity hospital, and already after discharge home decrease markedly.
It is quite another matter if blood clots appeared during menstruation a few months after the birth. Of course, this is not always bad and sometimes has a physiological character, but more often it can indicate possible pathologies and deviations in the body's work.
So, if after childbirth the first menstruation is very plentiful and with clots, the reasons may be the following:
- Partitions on the walls of the uterus interfere with the immediate removal of blood, due to which the blood has time to coagulate.
- Two-horned uterus - with this structure of the uterus, women complain of prolonged menstruation with clots, accompanied by severe pain.
- Hormonal disbalance.
If after birth the first menstruation is very plentiful, what should I do?
To begin with, you should remain extremely calm and carefully monitor your well-being. If there are no serious pains or fainting conditions, you can wait for the next cycle, perhaps everything will normalize by itself and the menstruation will become as before. But this option is valid only if there really are no serious complaints. In all other cases, you do not need to postpone the visit to the doctor.
If heavy menstruation is accompanied by pain, weakness and low blood pressure, it is highly recommended to consult a gynecologist. At the appointment, the doctor will definitely examine you, evaluate the vaginal discharge and the condition of the uterus, take a smear and send for additional blood tests. From instrumental diagnostics, ultrasound examination is most often prescribed. Usually the above is enough to identify the pathologies and causes of heavy menstruation.
Treatment for heavy bleeding
If a woman consulted a doctor on time, outpatient treatment is possible, but more often after all the examinations the woman is placed in a hospital and the following medicines are prescribed:
- hemostatic drugs;
- preparations for the restoration of iron in the blood;
- vitamins.
After the stabilization of the woman's condition, the doctor can prescribe preventive procedures. Alternative methods and even homeopathy may not be superfluous, just before you do anything, you must always consult with a specialist. The answer to the question "After childbirth, the first menstruation is very plentiful - is this normal or not?" only a doctor can give, since everything is individual.