What Are Postpartum Night Sweats?

Postpartum night sweats are defined as sweating that happens at night during the postpartum period.

Many of us have experienced waking up covered in sweat under circumstances unrelated to the postpartum period, from a hot bedroom to a bad dream. But if you find this happening frequently in the weeks after giving birth, you can likely blame postpartum night sweats.

“Postpartum night sweats are a fairly common phenomenon, and about 30% of women will experience them after delivery,” explains Jen Ludgin, M.D., a maternal fetal medicine fellow at Tufts Medical Center.

Night sweats can happen during pregnancy, too, and may be a more common occurrence: One study found that 35% of respondents experienced night sweats during pregnancy, compared to 29% postpartum.

What Causes Postpartum Night Sweats?

Your body changes quite a bit in the postpartum period. From perineum soreness to changes in discharge and breast engorgement, you can typically blame most things postpartum on one thing: Hormones. And that goes for night sweats, too. “Postpartum night sweats are thought to be related to postpartum hormonal changes,” says Amy Roskin, M.D., a board-certified OB-GYN and chief medical officer at Seven Starling, a women’s health digital platform. “The estrogen and progesterone hormone levels that increase during pregnancy decrease after birth and can be associated with night sweats,” she says. “In addition, there can be increased sweating postpartum as the body gets rid of excess fluid.”

While postpartum night sweats can usually be attributed to a readjustment period for the hormones, agrees Dr. Ludgin, she also notes that sweating can happen in the postpartum period for other reasons, too. “Certainly people who are experiencing lack of sleep—which is common for most people who have had a baby—or anxiety can sweat more,” she says. “And whether someone is breastfeeding or decides not to, sweating could be related to an infection of the breast called mastitis, a uterine infection or even COVID.”

Are Postpartum Night Sweats Normal?

Yes, postpartum night sweats are normal. “They’re very common, and many women experience them after giving birth,” says Dr. Roskin.

Dr. Ludgin adds that everyone will experience the postpartum period differently, but for many people this is a completely typical reaction to the hormone changes that happen after having a baby.

That being said, if certain symptoms accompany these night sweats—like a fever of a 100.4 or greater or chills, Dr. Ludgin notes that it’s important to contact your doctor, because this could be a symptom of a more serious condition, like an infection.

How Long Will I Have Postpartum Night Sweats?

The answer to this varies from person to person, according to Dr. Ludgin. “Every person’s body is different, but it’s something that is very common, and for women who are breastfeeding, the low estrogen state lasts a little bit longer,” she says.

However, if your postpartum night sweats last for longer than a month to six weeks, you may want to consider talking to your doctor about them, Dr. Ludgin continues.

One study of women in Japan found that 58.6% of women complained of night sweats at three days postpartum, 33.1% at two weeks postpartum and 15.2% at one month postpartum.

Postpartum night sweats typically resolve on their own within four to six weeks, according to Dr. Roskin.