7 Signs of Ovulation While Breastfeeding

Your body undergoes profound changes before, during, and after pregnancy. While pregnant, ovulation stops and your period disappears. After giving birth, both eventually return, but the timing varies dramatically, especially if you're breastfeeding.

Although breastfeeding can delay ovulation, fertility can return while you're still nursing and yes, you can even get pregnant while breastfeeding. Whether you're hoping to conceive again or actively preventing pregnancy, recognizing when ovulation returns is crucial for informed family planning.

So what are the signs of ovulation while breastfeeding? Here's everything you need to know about postpartum fertility and how to track it accurately.

Do You Ovulate While Breastfeeding?

During pregnancy, your prolactin levels elevate significantly and remain high while breastfeeding, surging during and immediately after each nursing session. Elevated prolactin inhibits the production of other critical reproductive hormones, including follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).

Without adequate FSH, your ovarian follicles don't mature properly, preventing the egg development necessary for ovulation. No ovulation means no fertility, at least temporarily.

The Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM)

Prolactin's suppressive effect on ovulation forms the basis of the Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM), a natural family planning approach where breastfeeding serves as your primary birth control.

For LAM to effectively prevent pregnancy, you must meet all three criteria:

1. Exclusive and frequent breastfeeding (at least every 4 hours during the day and every 6 hours at night)
2. No return of menstruation (complete absence of periods)
3. Less than six months postpartum

When all criteria are met, LAM proves remarkably effective comparable to hormonal birth control methods. Only 2 in 100 people using LAM as contraception become pregnant within the first six months after giving birth.

However, if you miss even one criterion, LAM's effectiveness drops significantly, and you should use additional contraception if preventing pregnancy is your goal.

How Soon Do You Ovulate While Breastfeeding?

The timeline for ovulation's return varies considerably between individuals, but general patterns emerge based on feeding practices:

Not breastfeeding: Ovulation typically returns within 4 to 6 weeks postpartum, sometimes even earlier.

Breastfeeding: Ovulation generally resumes 3 to 6 months after giving birth, though the range can be much wider.

Individual factors significantly influence timing, including your unique hormone levels, breastfeeding frequency and intensity, whether you supplement with formula, when you introduce solid foods, and even your stress levels and sleep quality.

Research illustrates this variability dramatically. One study found that breastfeeding mothers resumed ovulation at an average of 36 weeks postpartum, but the total range spanned from 15 to 66 weeks. That's a difference of nearly a year between the earliest and latest ovulation returns.

7 Signs of Ovulation While Breastfeeding

While breastfeeding suppresses ovulation, it doesn't prevent it indefinitely. If you're breastfeeding and at least three months postpartum, watch for these seven signs that fertility is returning.

1. Cervical Mucus Changes

If you tracked cervical mucus while trying to conceive previously, you'll recognize this familiar sign of fertility.

Around ovulation, rising estrogen levels transform cervical mucus from thick or absent to clear, stretchy, and slippery, often compared to raw egg whites. This fertile-quality mucus helps sperm travel through the cervix toward the egg.

Check your cervical mucus by wiping with toilet paper or inserting clean fingers into your vagina to collect a sample. Fertile mucus stretches between your fingers without breaking, whereas non-fertile mucus is sticky, creamy, or absent.

2. Sustained Rise in Basal Body Temperature

Tracking your basal body temperature (BBT), your body's temperature at complete rest, can reveal when ovulation occurs.

After ovulation, progesterone causes your BBT to rise slightly, typically about 0.5°F (0.3°C) higher than your pre-ovulation baseline. If you see this temperature elevation sustained for three consecutive days, it confirms ovulation has occurred.

Important: BBT must be measured with extreme consistency for accurate results. Take your temperature immediately upon waking, before any activity, at the same time each morning using a digital thermometer that measures to the tenth of a degree.

While BBT tracking is reliable, it confirms ovulation retrospectively rather than predicting it, so it's most useful when combined with other fertility signs.

3. Mild Pelvic Cramping (Mittelschmerz)

Some people experience mild pelvic pain, twinges, or cramping around ovulation, a phenomenon called mittelschmerz (German for "middle pain").

This discomfort typically occurs on one side of the lower abdomen, corresponding to whichever ovary is releasing an egg that cycle. The sensation ranges from barely noticeable to moderately uncomfortable and usually lasts from a few minutes to several hours.

Mittelschmerz results from the follicle rupturing to release the egg, along with the small amount of fluid or blood released during ovulation irritating the abdominal lining.

4. Increased Sex Drive

Your hormones significantly influence libido, sexual desire, and even sexual fantasies. Many people notice heightened sex drive around ovulation—nature's way of encouraging conception during the fertile window.

If you're experiencing an unexpected increase in sexual interest or arousal after months of postpartum low libido, it may signal that ovulation and fertility are returning.

>>RELATED: Does Sex Drive Increase During the Ovulatory Phase? Here’s What the Research Says.

5. Breast Tenderness or Sensitivity

Your breasts might become more sensitive or tender around ovulation due to hormonal fluctuations, particularly rising estrogen levels.

However, differentiating ovulation-related breast tenderness from breastfeeding-related discomfort can be challenging. Ovulation tenderness typically feels different, more generalized sensitivity rather than the specific nipple soreness or engorgement associated with nursing.

Pay attention to when the tenderness occurs relative to feeding schedules and whether it feels qualitatively different from your usual breastfeeding sensations.

6. Changes in Breastfeeding Patterns

This is the most distinctive sign of returning ovulation for breastfeeding mothers, changes in your baby's nursing behavior.

When fertility returns, you might notice:

• Longer intervals between nursing sessions as your baby naturally stretches time between feeds
• Shorter nursing sessions as your baby feeds more efficiently or shows less interest
• Changes in milk taste that some babies react to (hormonal shifts can subtly alter milk flavor)
• Decreased milk supply as hormones shift away from prolactin dominance

These changes don't necessarily mean you need to wean or that breastfeeding will stop, they simply reflect your body's hormonal transition back toward fertility.

7. Return of Your Period

The clearest, most definitive sign that fertility has returned is getting your period while breastfeeding.

Period return signals that you've ovulated, though your first few postpartum cycles aren’t regular or anovulatory (cycles without ovulation). Once menstruation resumes, you can no longer rely on LAM as birth control, regardless of your breastfeeding frequency.

Many people experience spotting or lighter bleeding before their true period returns. Track any bleeding to distinguish between genuine menstruation and postpartum spotting.

Signs of Ovulation While Breastfeeding vs. Typical Ovulation

If these signs look familiar, that's because they are. The signs of ovulation while breastfeeding closely mirror the signs you likely experienced before pregnancy, cervical mucus changes, cramping, BBT shifts, and increased libido.

>> RELATED: Top 5 Signs of Ovulation: What To Look Out for if You’re Trying To Conceive

However, your postpartum body has changed significantly, so these signs may feel somewhat different:

• Breast tenderness might feel more or less intense because your breasts are already sensitized by breastfeeding
• Cervical mucus may be harder to distinguish initially from postpartum discharge
• Cramping might feel different after pregnancy and childbirth have stretched your pelvic structures
• BBT patterns may take longer to stabilize into recognizable patterns

The most obvious difference is breastfeeding-specific changes, alterations in nursing frequency, session length, and your baby's feeding behavior that don't occur during typical ovulation.

Can You Ovulate While Breastfeeding Without Getting Your Period?

Absolutely yes, and this is why relying solely on period absence for birth control can be risky.

You can definitely ovulate while breastfeeding before your period returns. This happens because ovulation precedes menstruation in the menstrual cycle sequence. Your ovary releases an egg, your uterine lining thickens in preparation for potential pregnancy, and then, if the egg isn't fertilized, the lining sheds, producing your period approximately 12-14 days after ovulation.

This means your first postpartum ovulation occurs before your first postpartum period. If you have unprotected intercourse during this first fertile window, pregnancy is possible before you even realize your fertility has returned.

Whether you're hoping to conceive or prevent pregnancy, watching for signs of ovulation while breastfeeding and tracking your fertility provides crucial information about when your fertile window has reopened.

How to Track Ovulation While Breastfeeding

Symptom Tracking

One approach is monitoring the physical signs of ovulation we've discussed, cervical mucus changes, BBT patterns, cramping, libido shifts, breast tenderness, and nursing pattern changes.

While helpful, symptom tracking has limitations. Your postpartum body undergoes numerous changes, and distinguishing fertility-related symptoms from other postpartum adjustments can be challenging. Physical signs also vary in reliability and may not appear consistently across all cycles.

Hormone Tracking: The Gold Standard

For the most accurate confirmation that ovulation has returned, track your hormones directly.

Specific hormonal shifts definitively indicate approaching and completed ovulation:

Before ovulation: Luteinizing hormone (LH) surges 24-36 hours before the egg is releasedAfter ovulation: Progesterone rises significantly, confirming ovulation occurred

At-Home Hormone Tracking with Oova

The Oova hormone kit provides comprehensive hormone tracking that goes beyond traditional ovulation predictor kits. Rather than using population-average thresholds to determine whether you're ovulating, Oova measures your specific, individual hormone levels.

This personalized approach is crucial because hormone levels vary dramatically between individuals. What's "normal" for you may differ significantly from standardized reference ranges.

Oova tracks multiple hormones through urinary metabolites:

• E3G (estrogen metabolite)
• PdG (progesterone metabolite)
• LH (luteinizing hormone)

By measuring your unique hormonal patterns rather than comparing them to generic standards, Oova provides the most accurate insights into your fertility status, essential information when navigating the unpredictable postpartum fertility landscape.

Take Control of Your Postpartum Fertility

While breastfeeding can delay ovulation's return after giving birth, fertility typically resurfaces between 3 to 6 months postpartum, often while you're still actively nursing.

The signs of ovulation while breastfeeding mirror typical ovulation symptoms: cervical mucus changes, BBT shifts, cramping, increased sex drive, and breast tenderness. Additionally, you may notice distinctive breastfeeding-specific changes in session duration and intervals between feeds.

Physical signs provide valuable clues about returning fertility, but for definitive confirmation that you're ovulating again, hormone tracking offers unmatched accuracy. Whether you're planning your next pregnancy or preventing conception, understanding your postpartum fertility empowers you to make informed decisions about your reproductive health.

At Oova, we understand that postpartum life brings enough uncertainty. Your fertility status shouldn't add to it. With personalized hormone tracking, you can navigate this transition with confidence, knowing exactly when your fertile window returns.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you get pregnant while breastfeeding before your first period?

‍Yes, you can ovulate and therefore get pregnant, before your first postpartum period returns. Ovulation occurs before menstruation in the cycle sequence, so your first fertile window happens before you realize your period is coming back.

How effective is breastfeeding as birth control?

‍When all LAM criteria are met (exclusive breastfeeding, no period, less than 6 months postpartum), it's about 98% effective, comparable to hormonal birth control. However, effectiveness drops significantly when any criterion is not met.

Does pumping breast milk suppress ovulation like nursing does?

‍Pumping is less effective at suppressing ovulation than direct breastfeeding. The physical stimulation of nursing more effectively triggers prolactin release. If you're pumping exclusively or frequently, ovulation may return sooner.

Will ovulation affect my milk supply?

‍Some women notice temporary milk supply dips around ovulation or during their period due to hormonal fluctuations. This is usually brief and doesn't require weaning. Continued nursing typically restores supply.

Should I take a pregnancy test if I think I'm ovulating while breastfeeding?

‍If you've had unprotected intercourse and notice signs of ovulation, taking a pregnancy test is reasonable, especially if your period doesn't arrive when expected. Home pregnancy tests are accurate from the first day of a missed period.