# Question about cycles after breastfeeding



## cat81

I breastfed my son for 2 years until last month when we finally cut it out completely. Last month my period came very early at 22 days into my cycle. I assumed it must have been triggered by hormones after giving up breastfeeding - I am usually a regular 26 day cycle. This month my period still hasnt arrived and I am now on day 29 of cycle, so 3 days late for me. I have done 2 HPTs using cheapie Internet tests that are meant to be ultra sensitive but got 2 BFNs. We are NTNP so would be quite happy to be pregnant but just confused now. Anyone else had messed up cycles after giving up breastfeeding? I would like to have a drink tonight as its Friday and been a long week but don't want to if there's a chance I could be pg. any advice welcome. Xx


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## RachA

My cycle has been messed up after b/f. Although i did have a coil fitted 3 months after Esther was born so it may be that rather than extended b/f. I used to have a 28day cycle and now my cycle can be anything between 23 and 31 days and they always last for 7 days whereas they used to only be 5 days (although having said that they are very light for 5 out of those 7 days). Oh and i b/f for 18months.


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## lindblum

I only breastfed until 13 months, 10 months exclusively. 
I don't know how closely you were monitoring your cycle but i was temping because i wanted to get pregnant. I wasn't able to get pregnant at first because I had a short luteal phase, only 3-5days. When i did randomly ovulate it would be cd21-27 and tehn af would follow 3-5days later. If you are getting bfn, i would guess that:
1) you ovulated later than you thought and it may be too early
2) you didn't ovulate
3) you haven't ovulated yet or are close to it!

no way to tell just yet sorry, you just have to wait it out, good luck x


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## cat81

Thanks for the replies. I wasn't monitoring my cycle at all, just checking the length but I have bought some OPKs so next month I can try to see when I ovulate. I was thinking I might have problems with a short luteal phase when my period came so early last month but looks like I'm all over the place.


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## eddjanuary10

I still bf morning & night but when I gave up the day feeds my periods came back. They had stayed away for 3 years, but the first 3 were ok. The last couple have been too early (unheard of for me!) then really late!


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## Cattia

I stopped BF about five months ago and my periods still haven't really settled down. The first three were super heavy then I had two that stopped after three days then came back again two days later. I am not at all convinced I am ovulating at all. I have done OPKs a few times around the middle of my cycle but never got a positive. I think it takes a while for things to settle down.


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## 5ara

I'm still BF'ing at night and have gotten 2 periods in the past 3 months - very irregular. I'm sure it will take things a while to get normal again.


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## cat81

Thanks everyone. Finally AF came this morning. I think it is just taking a while to settle down. I will try the OPKs next month and see how we get on. Really hope I am ovulating as its going to be hard to TTC if not! I just assumed when my periods came back when LO was 9 months that things had stated up again. Look like I may have been unnecessarily taking precautions for the last 18 months. X


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## Luzelle

I stopped nursing after 21months, and my cycles were then long, then short, short luteal phase etc. started takimg vitex, and got pregnant nearly immediately. Pregnancy not going too well, but I still got pregnant on tose haywire cycles.


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## polaris

cat81 said:


> Thanks for the replies. I wasn't monitoring my cycle at all, just checking the length but I have bought some OPKs so next month I can try to see when I ovulate. I was thinking I might have problems with a short luteal phase when my period came so early last month but looks like I'm all over the place.

Could be that your LP is lengthening now that you've stopped breastfeeding and that's why you are late. I had a short LP until after I stopped breastfeeding at 22 months and it took a couple of months to go back to normal.


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## cat81

Luzelle said:


> I stopped nursing after 21months, and my cycles were then long, then short, short luteal phase etc. started takimg vitex, and got pregnant nearly immediately. Pregnancy not going too well, but I still got pregnant on tose haywire cycles.

Thanks. Not heard of vitex before. What is it? 
Congratulations on your pregnancy. I hope things get better for you. x


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