Birth by caesarean section has more changes in the organism and the woman’s body than natural childbirth. The question arises whether the issue of returning to full fertility is a bit slower?
Often, despite the efforts of couples, fertility after caesarean section in the postpartum period is difficult to determine, if only because puerperal feces are sometimes confused with menstrual bleeding.
Intercourse and fertility after caesarean section
Caesarean section helps to protect the vagina from ailments that occur as a result of natural childbirth. As a consequence, we are ready to have sex much faster than women who gave birth naturally. Opinions of doctors are different, we can have intercourse 4-6 weeks after the birth of the child. This time depends mainly on the mother’s health and the degree of healing of the cesarean wound. The information that will please many of us is also that postpartum feces last half as long, so we will only struggle with them for the next month. Due to the fact that the vaginal muscles have not been overstretched, we will feel more pleasure during intercourse than after natural childbirth.
It would be safest to plan the next pregnancy for a year after the caesarean section. After so many months, we gain confidence that the uterine muscle will cope with the challenges of the next pregnancy, and the scars, both internal and external, are already properly healed. In the meantime, we should use an effective method of contraception, preferably single-ingredient progestogen pills that will not adversely affect lactation.
Fertility after caesarean section can return after just 2 weeks, which is long before our body heals enough to be able to have sex. Predicting the exact date of ovulation for each of us is quite difficult, because it happens that it is not recovered until 12 months after delivery.
Lactation infertility – truth or myth?
Lactation infertility, i.e. resulting from the production of prolactin in mothers during lactation and breastfeeding, although it is associated with a highly probable inability to become pregnant, it is not a period in which we can safely have intercourse. As we have already mentioned, for our own safety, we need these few weeks off. However, in mums who exclusively breastfeed, the inhibition of ovulation by prolactin may (but does not have to) last for several months. Lactation infertility prevents pregnancy in 8 out of 10 women, it increases in breastfeeding mothers 6-7 times a day, including at night.
Mucus and elevated body temperature are enough to observe ovulation. However, it should be remembered that the ability to fertilize occurs a few days before the onset of ovulation. It is usually believed that it is possible to become pregnant 6 weeks after delivery, regardless of whether you give birth naturally or by caesarean section.