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Luteal Phase Length & Postpartum Menstrual Return

When a woman is breastfeeding, I am wondering does how early or late her postpartum menstrual comes determine how long or short her luteal phase is going to start off as? Or is it something that affects each woman individually?

My experiences with trying for my 2nd and 3rd is that the later return of postpartum menstrual the longer your luteal phase starts, the earlier return, the shorter. Click here to read more about My Experiences

Despite my experiences, the more I read about other breastfeeding women’s experiences, I think that for many women while breastfeeding when their postpartum menstrual returns whether early (during the first year) or later (13 months – 4 years), her first postpartum menstrual is most likely to be short, (unless the mother may have been taking fertility meds or supplements to lengthen her luteal phase prior to her postpartum menstrual starting or during her postpartum menstrual, and it worked ). 

I have some examples of the different stories I have read by other nursing mothers. Click here to read Example Stories of Nursing MothersI did find a nursing mama whose experience was early postpartum meant really short luteal phase to start. Mom E in this says her postpartum menstrual returned at 5 months postpartum and her luteal phase was 5. Next cycle it was 8, and for several cycles, it remained 8-9. She didn’t get to a luteal phase of 11-12 until a year after her postpartum cycle started. She said mothers with older nurslings have a better chance of lengthening their luteal phases faster.

 According to her, it’s not about the early or late return of a postpartum menstrual that matters. It’s about how old your nursing child is that will determine how fast your luteal phase will lengthen, assuming that most nursing moms will have a short luteal phase regardless of when the postpartum menstrual returned (Those mothers who have a normal length luteal phase being the exception). I wonder if the age of the child matters because older children are nursing less than younger children. For example, older nursing children have other sources for their nutrition and maybe nursing for fewer reasons such as comfort or help to fall asleep and maybe nursing for shorter sessions at the breast than younger children because they are becoming more active and independent.

The other part of short luteal phases lengthening is, how often the child sucks on the breast since many kinds of literature believe that determines when ovulation will occur.

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