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Getting pregnant againHaving another baby might be the last thing on your mind right now. But getting pregnant too soon after giving birth can be risky for both you and your baby. Becoming pregnant again within a year of giving birth increases the chance that your new baby will be born too soon. Babies that are born too soon can have health problems. Planning your next pregnancyPlanning your next pregnancy if you want more children — or preventing a pregnancy if you don't — is important. Spacing pregnancies at least 12 months apart will give your body time to fully recover. In the meantime, using reliable birth control is the best way to prevent pregnancy until you decide if and when to have another baby. Planning your next pregnancy if you want more children — or preventing a pregnancy if you don't — is important. Spacing pregnancies at least 12 months apart will give your body time to fully recover. In the meantime, using reliable birth control is the best way to prevent pregnancy until you decide if and when to have another baby. Women who have just given birth should wait three weeks before using birth control that contains both estrogen and progestin. This includes the pill, the patch, and vaginal ring. Using these methods in the early weeks after giving birth increases the risk of dangerous blood clots. Wait six weeks to use birth control with both estrogen and progestin if you delivered by c-section or have other risk factors for blood clots. These risk factors include obesity, history of blood clots, smoking, or preeclampsia. Women have many good choices for birth control after giving birth. Keep in mind that breastfeeding alone isn't a foolproof way to prevent pregnancy. Talk to your doctor about your birth control options. All material contained on these pages are free of copyright restrictions and maybe copied, reproduced, or duplicated without permission of the Office on Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Citation of the source is appreciated. Page last updated: February 22, 2021 No, it’s not true that you won't be fertile until your period starts again. It's perfectly possible to get pregnant before having your first period after giving birth. You'll ovulate about two weeks before you have a period. This means you’ll have been fertile again during that time but you won’t necessarily know it. When will I be fertile again after giving birth?While it's unlikely, you can get pregnant in as little as three weeks after giving birth (postpartum), even if you're breastfeeding and your periods haven't returned yet (NHS 2018). So, if you don't want to get pregnant soon after giving birth, and experts recommend waiting a while anyway (FSRH 2020), it’s worth spending time working out what type of contraception is best for you. Chances are your GP will talk to you about contraception at your postnatal check anyway, if not before (FSRH 2020). Many women like to wait until their GP gives them the OK anyway at their postnatal check before having sex. This happens at around six weeks. But if you feel ready sooner that’s fine too, as long as you have birth control sorted, your bleeding (lochia) has stopped and any bruising, stitches or swelling has healed (NHS 2018). When will my periods come back after giving birth?If you’re bottle-feeding, or combining breast and bottle, your periods (menstrual cycle) will return about six to 10 weeks after your baby is born. If you're breastfeeding, it could be months before your period returns, but there's no way of telling exactly when it will happen (NHS 2021). Can I get pregnant if I'm breastfeeding?Yes you can. Generally, breastfeeding triggers hormones that stop ovulation and menstruation. The medical term for this is lactational amenorrhoea. Some mums use breastfeeding as a method of contraception, known as the lactational amenorrhea method (LAM). But it’s unreliable unless you're exclusively breastfeeding every few hours during the day and night and your baby isn't having any solids or any other form of milk (Tiwan et al 2018). Can I take the contraceptive pill while breastfeeding?The combined pill, contraceptive patch and the vaginal ring aren’t usually recommended during the first six weeks after birth if you're breastfeeding (NHS 2020). This is because contraception that uses a combination of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone can affect your milk supply. However, the mini-pill, also called the progestogen-only pill (POP), is fine (NHS 2020). Learn more about your contraceptive options while breastfeeding. When is the best time to get pregnant again after giving birth?If you’re keen to add to your family, bear in mind that experts recommend that you wait a year to 18 months before your next pregnancy. Research suggests that getting pregnant again before this can increase your risk of giving birth prematurely, or your baby having a low birth weight or being small for dates (FSRH 2020). Waiting before conceiving again will also give you time to feel you’ve fully recovered from your previous pregnancy. Your body will have a chance to recover physically and build up nutritional stores, particularly iron and folate, so that it can support and nourish a new baby. More on sex and relationships
ReferencesFSRH. 2020. FSRH clinical guideline: contraception after pregnancy. FSRH Standards and guidance. www.fsrh.org [Accessed August 2022] NHS. 2018. Sex and contraception after birth. Health A-Z, Baby. www.nhs.uk [Accessed August 2022] NHS. 2020. When can I use contraception after having a baby? Health A-Z, Your contraception guide. www.nhs.uk [Accessed August 2022] NHS. 2021. When will my periods start again after pregnancy? Common health questions, Pregnancy. www.nhs.uk [Accessed August 2022] Tiwari, K et al. 2018. A study on effectiveness of lactational amenorrhea as a method of contraception.International Journal of Reproduction, Contraception, Obstetrics and Gynecology 7(10):3946-3950  Lorna Marsh is senior editor at BabyCentre. She has more than 20 years’ journalism and editing experience, including working for the NHS. |
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