Can you get pregnant before your first postpartum period

There are no rules about when to start having sex again after you have given birth.

Table of Contents Show

Tips for starting sex again after birth
Contraception after having a baby
Contraception and breastfeeding
Video: when can we have sex again after birth?
The Possibility of Getting Pregnant Soon After Giving Birth
Risks of Pregnancy Within Six Months of Giving Birth
What to Do If You Think You're Pregnant Again
How fertile are you after having a baby?
How do I know if I'm ovulating postpartum?

You'll probably feel sore as well as tired after your baby is born, so don't rush into it.

If sex hurts, it won't be pleasurable. You may want to use a personal lubricant, available from pharmacies, to begin with.

Hormonal changes after birth can make your vagina feel drier than usual.

You may be worried about changes to your body or getting pregnant again. Men may worry about hurting their partner.

It might be some time before you want to have sex. Until then, both of you can carry on being loving and close in other ways.

If you or your partner have any worries, talk about them together. You can talk with your health visitor or GP if you need some more help.

Tips for starting sex again after birth

If penetration hurts, say so. If you pretend that everything's all right when it isn't, you may start to see sex as a nuisance or unpleasant, rather than a pleasure. You can still give each other pleasure without penetration – for example, by mutual masturbation.
Take it gently. Perhaps explore with your own fingers first to reassure yourself that sex won't hurt. You may want to use some personal lubricant. Hormonal changes after childbirth may mean you aren't as lubricated as usual.
Make time to relax together. You're more likely to make love when your minds are on each other rather than other things.
Get help if you need it. If you're still experiencing pain when you have your postnatal check, talk to your GP.

Contraception after having a baby

You can get pregnant as little as 3 weeks after the birth of a baby, even if you're breastfeeding and your periods haven't started again.

Unless you want to get pregnant again, it's important to use some kind of contraception every time you have sex after giving birth, including the first time.

You'll usually have a chance to discuss contraception before you leave hospital after your baby is born, and again at your postnatal check.

You can also talk to your GP or health visitor, or go to a family planning clinic, at any time.

Read more about contraception after having a baby.

Sexual health charities Brook and FPA have interactive tools that can help you decide which method of contraception is best for you:

Brook: my contraception tool
FPA: my contraception tool

You can also search for your local NHS contraception service.

Contraception and breastfeeding

You're unlikely to have any periods if you breastfeed exclusively (give your baby breast milk only) and your baby is under 6 months old.

Because of this, some women use breastfeeding as a form of natural contraception. This is known as the lactational amenorrhoea method, or LAM.

It's important to start using another form of contraception if:

your baby is more than 6 months old
you give them anything else apart from breast milk, such as a dummy, formula or solid foods
your periods start again (even light spotting counts)
you stop night feeding
you start to breastfeed less often
there are longer intervals between feeds, both during the day and at night

The effect of expressing breast milk on LAM isn't known, but it may make it less effective.

Video: when can we have sex again after birth?

This video explains when you can start to have sex after birth.

Media last reviewed: 23 March 2020
Media review due: 23 March 2023

Are you wondering how soon you can get pregnant after birth? The answer is sooner than you probably think. Do you ever wonder if anyone shows up at their six-week checkup pregnant? The answer is a resounding yes! Many moms are led to believe that they cannot get pregnant soon after delivery, but this is a misconception.

The Possibility of Getting Pregnant Soon After Giving Birth

Whether you had a vaginal birth or c-section, your body is capable of getting pregnant very shortly after giving birth. You can ovulate before having your first postpartum period, and as soon as you ovulate, you can conceive.

Despite the fact that it is not recommended that you have sex prior to your six-week checkup, it happens. If you don't use a form of contraception, you can get pregnant. Consider alternatives to sexual intercourse for reasons of healing from giving birth but also to prevent pregnancy.

Breastfeeding, while it may delay ovulation in some women, is not an effective method of birth control unless you are following the lactational amenorrhea method (LAM). This is a very specific method of birth control. It means that you never use a breast pump, your baby never gets a pacifier, and your baby does not sleep through the night. This is a standard that is difficult for most women to achieve.

Risks of Pregnancy Within Six Months of Giving Birth

There is good evidence that women who have babies closer together have riskier pregnancies the second time. This is because their bodies have not yet fully healed from giving birth. Even when you feel physically healed, your body is adjusting to changing levels of hormones and nutrients.

If you have a pregnancy within six months of giving birth, you increase the risk for complications such as:

Birth defects
Growth restriction in the baby
Premature rupture of membranes (water breaking)
Preterm birth

While outcomes are slightly better if you wait at least six months between pregnancies, waiting at least 18 months is best. This gives the body time to heal and reduces the risks of complications. It also gives you time to plan your next pregnancy and receive preconception counseling, which reduces the risks of complications even further. (Pregnancies more than five years apart also carry risks.)

What to Do If You Think You're Pregnant Again

If you think you are pregnant, talk to your practitioner, even if you don't want to admit that you might be pregnant. If you are, you will need prenatal care to help monitor the pregnancy and baby and minimize risk where possible.

Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

McNeilly AS, Glasier AF, Howie PW, Houston MJ, Cook A, Boyle H. Fertility after childbirth: pregnancy associated with breast feeding. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 1983;19(2):167-73. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2265.1983.tb02978.x
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Lactational amenorrhea method.
Schummers L, Hutcheon JA, Hernandez-Diaz S, et al. Association of short interpregnancy interval with pregnancy outcomes according to maternal age. JAMA Intern Med. 2018;178(12):1661-1670. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.4696

Additional Reading

By Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH
Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH is a professor, author, childbirth and postpartum educator, certified doula, and lactation counselor.

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How fertile are you after having a baby?

You can get pregnant as little as 3 weeks after the birth of a baby, even if you're breastfeeding and your periods haven't started again. Unless you want to get pregnant again, it's important to use some kind of contraception every time you have sex after giving birth, including the first time.

How do I know if I'm ovulating postpartum?

Pay attention to your discharge. If suddenly the cervical mucus goes from sticky and thick to being rather light and clear to the point of making you feel wet, you are ovulating, and pregnancy after ovulation is more than possible.