Fertility after Childbirth

Fertility after childbirth and the need for precautions of not conceiving early?

This is the question most often thought by women in general as no one wants to conceive early on after the birth of a baby and as a woman you are always on a look out for a safe contraceptive to prevent any unwanted pregnancy.

The best way to prevent this is to use a suitable contraceptive as though you may be breastfeeding your baby and there may be a delay in getting back to menstruating regularly it does not mean that you will not get pregnant due to this, as it has often been seen that fertility returns quite early after delivery for some and can be just the opposite to some others.

There are many types of contraceptives available in the market today to control childbirth

• If you don’t want to take oral contraceptives as you are breastfeeding your baby then you can make do with spermicide and condoms to delay pregnancy.
• Birth control pills are the second best options though the choice for these are limited and the most frequently used and recommended one is the progesterone mini pill which should be taken at the same time everyday and the effects are slightly less than the other contraceptive pills.
• Inserting an IUD after the complete healing of the uterus is a very good option and a very effective one and prevents unwanted pregnancy.
• Contraceptives in the form of injections like Depo-Provera are also used.

It is advisable not to have a physical relationship for a month and a half after delivery as it takes time for the vaginal walls to heal and come back to normal.

When does the menstrual cycle come back to normal?

There is no fixed time for menstruation return as it has been found that if you are breastfeeding your baby then menstruation can be delayed for about six to eight months or until you stop breastfeeding while in some cases women have started menstruating almost within a month or after lochia stops. Lochia is nothing but bleeding that occurs for about six weeks post partum and it resembles menstrual bleeding. You also need to understand and remember that the ovary releases an egg after every two weeks and if you are not aware of this and have unprotected sex this can lead to unwanted pregnancy.

Wanting to start your sexual relationship and having a desire to have children with very little age difference then you need to consult your doctor. As such you can resume your sexual intercourse after the six week healing period of the uterus which is what the doctors usually recommend.

If you do not want to get pregnant soon then you can always go in for the birth control methods because they are far more safe as compared to not having intercourse during the fertile period and if you want to have children at close succession then you can resume your sexual intercourse after the six week stipulated period so that the uterus gets back to normal.