While breastfeeding can prevent ovulation, it typically returns within 3-6 months. Here’s how to tell if you’re ovulating again.
It’s no secret that your body goes through immense changes before, during, and after pregnancy. While you’re pregnant, you stop ovulating and don’t get your period; after giving birth, ovulation and periods return at some point—but when exactly does that happen? It depends, especially on whether you’re breastfeeding.
Although breastfeeding can prevent ovulation, ovulation can still return during this time—and you can even get pregnant while breastfeeding . Whether you’re looking to get pregnant again or not, knowing if ovulation has returned is crucial. So, what are the signs of ovulation while breastfeeding? Here’s what you need to know.
Do you ovulate while breastfeeding? Do you ovulate while breastfeeding? It depends. When you breastfeed regularly —generally at least every four hours during the day and every six hours at night—it can prevent ovulation.
Breastfeeding can prevent ovulation because of the hormone prolactin. During pregnancy, your prolactin levels are elevated, and remain that way while breastfeeding, surging during and following suckling. Elevated prolactin levels inhibit the production of other hormones in your body—including follicle stimulating hormone, which stalls the development of the ovarian follicle and prevents ovulation.
Prolactin’s effect on ovulation is the basis of the Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM) , a natural family planning method where breastfeeding is your main form of birth control. For LAM to prevent pregnancy, you need to meet the following criteria:
Regular and exclusive breastfeeding No return of your period Under six months postpartum If you do meet these criteria, it’s likely you will not ovulate while breastfeeding. And if you’re not ovulating, you can’t get pregnant. LAM tends to be as effective as hormonal birth control; only two in 100 people who use LAM as birth control get pregnant within the first six months after giving birth.
How soon do you ovulate while breastfeeding? After giving birth, the timing of when ovulation exactly returns can vary from person to person. However, there are two general timelines: if you’re not breastfeeding, ovulation tends to return within four to six weeks; if you are breastfeeding, ovulation tends to come back three to six months after giving birth.
Again, the exact timing of ovulation is unique and can vary based on factors like your hormone levels and breastfeeding habits. In one study , breastfeeding mothers, on average, resumed ovulation 36 weeks postpartum—but the total range in the study was 15-66 weeks postpartum.
Signs of ovulation while breastfeeding While breastfeeding can prevent ovulation, ovulation can still return. If you’re breastfeeding and three to six months postpartum, here are signs of ovulation while breastfeeding to look out for.
Cervical mucus changes If you paid attention to your vaginal discharge while trying to conceive, you’ll be looking out for the same signs while breastfeeding! Around ovulation, cervical mucus becomes clear, stretchy, and slippery, often said to resemble egg whites.
Increase in basal body temperature Tracking your basal body temperature , or the temperature of your body at rest, can clue you into whether you’re ovulating. If you’re recording your basal body temperature and see a slight rise for three days in a row—usually of about 0.5°F —this can indicate that you’ve ovulated.
It’s important to note that basal body temperature must be measured very carefully and consistently to get accurate results. Be sure you’re taking your temperature right when you get up and you’re using a digital thermometer that records to the one-tenth of a degree.
Cramping Some people experience mild pelvic pain or twinges around ovulation. This pain typically occurs on one side of the lower abdomen.
Increased sex drive Your hormones can be linked to feelings of desire and sexual fantasies . If you’re feeling an increase in libido, it can be a sign ovulation is returning.
>>MORE: Does Sex Drive Increase During the Ovulatory Phase? Here’s What the Research Says.
Breast tenderness Your breasts might become more sensitive during ovulation. However, it’s important to differentiate this from breastfeeding-related tenderness.
Changes in breastfeeding patterns If your fertility returns, you might start to see changes in your breastfeed patterns, specifically in the length between feeding sessions and the length of those sessions. If ovulation has returned, you might experience longer periods without breastfeeding and shorter nursing sessions.
You got your period If your period returns while breastfeeding, this is a clear sign that fertility is returning, too—even if your cycles aren’t regular yet. If you do get your period, you can no longer use LAM as a reliable method of birth control.
Signs of ovulation while breastfeeding vs. typical ovulation If you’re looking at the signs of ovulation while breastfeeding and thinking they look familiar, that’s because they probably are! The signs of ovulation while breastfeeding are typically the same as you might have experienced before pregnancy, like changes in cervical mucus and cramping.
>>MORE: Top 5 Signs of Ovulation: What To Look Out for if You’re Trying To Conceive
However, your body experiences a lot of change with pregnancy and postpartum, and you might notice physical differences with these signs; for example, breast tenderness might feel more or less intense because you’re breastfeeding.
The biggest difference between signs of ovulation while breastfeeding and typical ovulation is the most obvious—changes in breastfeeding! Changes to the length between sessions and the time of nursing sessions can indicate ovulation has returned.
Can a breastfeeding mother ovulate without seeing her period? Yes, absolutely—you can definitely ovulate while breastfeeding before you see your period return. This is because ovulation typically occurs in your menstrual cycle before your period; ovulation is the release of an egg from the ovary, and your body responds to this by building up your uterine lining to prepare for pregnancy. Your period happens when the egg is not fertilized and the uterine lining sheds.
Whether or not you’re trying to conceive, looking out for signs of ovulation while breastfeeding and tracking your ovulation can help you understand if and when your fertile window has returned.
How to track ovulation while breastfeeding One way to track ovulation while breastfeeding is tracking your signs of ovulation while breastfeeding—all of those physical symptoms we mentioned above that indicate there’s a change going on in your body.
Yet your body is going through a lot of changes postpartum, and it can be hard to pinpoint exactly when ovulation returns—and confirming that it did return—from just physical symptoms.
For the most accurate results, the best way to track ovulation while breastfeeding is by tracking your hormones. There are specific shifts in your hormones that can indicate you’re about to ovulate and confirm you have ovulated. For example, right before you ovulate, there’s typically a surge in luteinizing hormone (LH) ; after you ovulate, progesterone rises.
The Oova hormone kit goes beyond traditional ovulation predictor kits and tracks multiple hormones—and doesn’t use a “standard” to compare your hormone levels to determine whether they’re surging, rising, or decreasing. Instead, you’ll get to see your specific hormone levels to get the most accurate answers about your fertility. Oova measures these hormones through their urinary metabolites. Estrogen is measured as E3G and progesterone is measured as PdG.
Signs of ovulation while breastfeeding: the bottom line While breastfeeding can prevent ovulation from returning after giving birth, ovulation typically returns three to six months postpartum—which may be while you’re still breastfeeding.
The signs of ovulation while breastfeeding are similar to typical signs of ovulation, including changes in cervical mucus, cramping, increased sex drive, and breast tenderness. You also may notice changes in your breastfeeding session duration and time between breastfeeding sessions.
Physical signs of ovulation while breastfeeding can be a good indicator that fertility has returned, but for the most accurate results—and confirmation that you’re definitely ovulating again—hormone tracking can give you the fertility answers you need.
