How soon can you get pregnant after giving birth?

Post delivering a child, you may wonder when you can have your next one. What would be the ideal wait time? How long should the gap be between two pregnancies? When will you get your first postpartum period? Does breastfeeding affect menstruation?

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Can you get pregnant before your first postpartum period?

You can become pregnant as soon as three weeks after giving birth, before your periods return. If you want to avoid pregnancy, arrange suitable contraception before then, including if you are breastfeeding. Australian postpartum contraception guidance.

If you feel you are pregnant, do take a pregnancy test to confirm pregnancy such as the Clearblue Rapid Detection Test (3 tests, Amazon Australia) or the First Response Early Detection Instream Test (3 tests, Amazon Australia).

What are your chances of getting pregnant?

The time period for post-partum ovulation varies from woman to woman. There is no guarantee that you will ovulate first or menstruate first, so if you are not intending to get pregnant discuss a suitable contraceptive method and its start time with your doctor or midwife before resuming sex.

There is no single timetable for resuming sex after birth. Wait until you feel ready and comfortable, and follow advice about healing from tears, stitches, surgery or other complications. Ask your clinician for help if sex is painful. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby discusses recovery and sex.

“If trying to fall pregnant, you must visit the doctor to review your health, should track your ovulation cycle, consume folic acid, maintain a healthy weight, exercise and eat well.”

How does breastfeeding affect ovulation and menstruation?

On average, a nursing mother gets her periods later than someone who is not breastfeeding. However, cases have vastly differed from woman to woman. Breastfeeding is supposed to delay the return of the menstrual cycle; this is due to the fact that the hormones that help produce breast milk tend to prevent the body from producing hormones required for ovulation.

Breastfeeding is not reliable contraception unless the specific criteria for the lactational amenorrhoea method are met. Ask your healthcare professional whether it applies to you. This is because there are many breastfeeding patterns that affect the return of the period. It depends on how frequently you are nursing, are you nursing exclusively, do you breastfeed at night, how long do you nurse, how many times do you nurse, etc. Any change in these patterns may cause the menstrual cycle to restart. From weeks post-delivery to months post-delivery the return of the menstrual cycle has varied from nursing mom to nursing mom.

Some mothers introduce solids, use formula supplements, get through nights without having to breastfeed, pump instead of nursing – all these factors change the way your body produces milk and play a key role in resuming ovulation and your menstrual cycle.

Let’s be clear that a period while breastfeeding need not indicate ovulation and not having a period or having irregularities is no guarantee that you have not ovulated. Though nursing is known to delay or slow down ovulation there is a chance that you may get pregnant before your first period even if you are breastfeeding.

See the Australian Breastfeeding Association’s contraception guidance.

Mother holding a newborn in her arms at home.

How long should you wait before getting pregnant post giving birth?

Discuss the timing of another pregnancy with your GP or obstetrician. Becoming pregnant within six months of a birth is associated with higher risks. The best timing also depends on your health, recovery and previous pregnancy and birth. Here, the interval means the time from birth to the next conception. RANZCOG pre-pregnancy guidance.

Keep an eye out for these early pregnancy signs if you feel you are pregnant.

Most women don’t ovulate right after giving birth, however, this varies from women to women. Some start menstruating before others. Each woman will have a different timeframe for becoming fertile again – this is dependent on personal factors like stress, smoking, weight, breastfeeding, contraception choices etc. As a result of all this, it is best advised to discuss planning your next baby with your doctor before you start trying for one.