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Dr. Andrew Rynne

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Does Delay In Periods Indicate Pregnancy?

Hi, I have a 10 month old baby, after delivery I got my periods after 9 months i.e on Dec 17th and till now I haven't got my periods. Before 1st pregnancy my mensus was irregular. Last week I have done with the pregnancy test and it was -ve. But I wanted to know is there any chance of getting pregnant now?
Wed, 19 Oct 2016
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OBGYN,  's  Response
Hallow Dear,

After delivery, if you are breastfeeding the child, the menstruation may not start or may start and still be irregular. This is called as lactational amenorrhoea. If a woman feeds the baby regularly and exclusively on the breast, during first 4-6 months, it is known to give fair contraceptive protection.

However, after 10 months, particularly when you had one period, you are not protected and the chances of pregnancy do exist. Since the periods are irregular, pregnancy test on the urine may not be reliable and may report false negative. The safest way at this stage is to go for Beta hCG test on the blood 10 days after the last unprotected sex.

If you are not pregnant, some progesterone preparation like Deviry for 5 days will get you the menses 4-7 days after that. This therapeutic test can replace Beta hCG also.

Hence forward, please be on some reliable contraceptive method like contraceptive pills, condom or intrauterine device regularly. Contraceptive pills will help you regularise the menses also.

I hope this helps you.

Dr. Nishikant Shrotri
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Does Delay In Periods Indicate Pregnancy?

Hallow Dear, After delivery, if you are breastfeeding the child, the menstruation may not start or may start and still be irregular. This is called as lactational amenorrhoea. If a woman feeds the baby regularly and exclusively on the breast, during first 4-6 months, it is known to give fair contraceptive protection. However, after 10 months, particularly when you had one period, you are not protected and the chances of pregnancy do exist. Since the periods are irregular, pregnancy test on the urine may not be reliable and may report false negative. The safest way at this stage is to go for Beta hCG test on the blood 10 days after the last unprotected sex. If you are not pregnant, some progesterone preparation like Deviry for 5 days will get you the menses 4-7 days after that. This therapeutic test can replace Beta hCG also. Hence forward, please be on some reliable contraceptive method like contraceptive pills, condom or intrauterine device regularly. Contraceptive pills will help you regularise the menses also. I hope this helps you. Dr. Nishikant Shrotri