Aa
first actual period after giving birth lasting 3 weeks
i gave birth oct. 24, 08. i got my first actual period on the 12th of dec. it started off heavy and slowed down a lil but it never really stopped. it would seem like it would go away and then the next morning i would wake up and be bleeding alot again. its bright red and ive been bleeding since then so its been 3 weeks already. i had my postpartum papsmear and everything had came out fine i just had a minor bacterial infection and took medicine for it. i am on birth control (ortho tri cyclen lo) and started that dec 7th as my doctor instructed ( i wasnt on my period yet and i kno that ur suppose to take the pill the sunday after u get ur period but he told me to take it anyway). i dont have any clots and theres no pain, so im wondering if its normal for my first period after birth for this to happen because ive never had a problem with my period before. im scared that im losing alot of blood. its not heavy like it was when i first got my period but its bright red and just wont go away. what could be goin on
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi!
Congratulations on the birth of your child! You are probably also a little tired with a 3 month old at home!
One thing you didn't mention was if you were/are breastfeeding--that might or might not make a difference.
First of all, its not at all uncommon for bleeding to be irregular after a birth and likewise its fairly common for the first few "romantic interludes" to be less than optimal.
I have a few suggestions that you could ask your doctor about. First of all, to stop the bleeding, many times I will have my patients take two or even three birth control pills per day for a few days until the bleeding stops, and then taper back down to two and then one pill daily. The lining of your uterus may be very thin from the birth and low postpartum hormone levels, and taking pills in this fashion can help to thicken it back to normal. (Also, make sure you are taking vitamins and iron!)
If this doesn't work within three or four days, I would suggest an ultrasound to rule out any retained placental tissue. I really doubt there is anything like that this far after the fact, but it wouldn't hurt to check if hormones don't help. One other thing that sometimes helps ( and you have already done ) is antibiotics for a week or two.
Finally, as pertains to painful intercourse--again, the problem is usually low hormone levels which leaves the vaginal tissues very sensitive. Ultimately this will improve on its own, but if you ( or "your man" ) want to speed up the process, I often will have my patients try a week or two of vaginal estrogen therapy.
Also, make sure there is a little wine and candle light and romance--sometimes the "other half" of the pair is so starved for "affection" that they forget about that part!
Good luck!
Dr B
Congratulations on the birth of your child! You are probably also a little tired with a 3 month old at home!
One thing you didn't mention was if you were/are breastfeeding--that might or might not make a difference.
First of all, its not at all uncommon for bleeding to be irregular after a birth and likewise its fairly common for the first few "romantic interludes" to be less than optimal.
I have a few suggestions that you could ask your doctor about. First of all, to stop the bleeding, many times I will have my patients take two or even three birth control pills per day for a few days until the bleeding stops, and then taper back down to two and then one pill daily. The lining of your uterus may be very thin from the birth and low postpartum hormone levels, and taking pills in this fashion can help to thicken it back to normal. (Also, make sure you are taking vitamins and iron!)
If this doesn't work within three or four days, I would suggest an ultrasound to rule out any retained placental tissue. I really doubt there is anything like that this far after the fact, but it wouldn't hurt to check if hormones don't help. One other thing that sometimes helps ( and you have already done ) is antibiotics for a week or two.
Finally, as pertains to painful intercourse--again, the problem is usually low hormone levels which leaves the vaginal tissues very sensitive. Ultimately this will improve on its own, but if you ( or "your man" ) want to speed up the process, I often will have my patients try a week or two of vaginal estrogen therapy.
Also, make sure there is a little wine and candle light and romance--sometimes the "other half" of the pair is so starved for "affection" that they forget about that part!
Good luck!
Dr B
i thought i might add that i had a natural birth i tried having sex nov 25th and it was really painful my man couldnt even penatrate. it felt like i was losing my virginity all over again but after holding in the tears he finally got it in and it felt really rough like i was dry. i couldnt even put in a tampon without it hurting a bit which even BEFORE i lost my virginity putting in a tampon was never a problem. shouldnt i have healed inside already?
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