After giving birth, a woman has lactational amenorrhea. During this period, you can, without fear of consequences, lead a sexual life without additional contraception. What is the effectiveness of lactational amenorrhea prevention? What conditions must be met to rule out an unwanted pregnancy?

Lactational amenorrhea: everything you need to know about her

Pregnancy and lactation are a big burden on the female body. From its depletion, nature saves. She does not allow re-pregnancy immediately after childbirth, causing lactational amenorrhea in the newly minted mother. We will find out what it is and why the risk of becoming pregnant during breastfeeding is very small.

What is lactational amenorrhea

Amenorrhea is the absence of menstruation for several menstrual cycles in a row. Lactational amenorrhea is the absence of menstruation on the background of lactation (breastfeeding). In the first half of the menstrual cycle in women, the follicle ripens. When it bursts, an egg leaves it - ovulation occurs. And if fertilization does not occur during the movement of the egg through the fallopian tube, menstruation begins.

After the birth of the baby, the woman begins breastfeeding. When a baby sucks a breast, a special hormone, prolactin, is produced. It promotes the formation of a sufficient amount of milk and inhibits the synthesis of hormones responsible for the maturation of follicles. Follicles do not mature - the eggs do not exit. No eggs - no ovulation. No ovulation - no menstruation.

Duration of lactational amenorrhea

Menstruation does not resume until a sufficient level of prolactin is found in the female body. The production of this hormone depends on the frequency and duration of application of the baby to the chest. Therefore, the duration of lactational amenorrhea is usually 6-9 months. It is at this age that one breastfeeding of the baby is replaced by complementary foods, and the usual regime of breastfeeding is disrupted.

Attention! 6-9 months is the average duration of lactational amenorrhea. But it can end earlier (2-3 months after the birth) or later (12-14). The maximum norm is 1.5-2 years, provided that lactation is maintained during this period. If during this time the menstrual cycle has not resumed, you need to visit a gynecologist and undergo an examination.

Is it possible to restore the menstrual cycle before the introduction of complementary foods

The first menstruation can begin immediately after restoration of the uterine mucosa: 2-3 months after birth. This usually happens if the following factors occur:

• Large intervals between breastfeeding (more than 3-4 hours);
• Between feedings, the baby satisfies the sucking reflex with the help of a dummy;
• Mom feeds the baby with a mixture or gives him water;
• The child is completely on artificial feeding.

Attention! In women with high fertility (the ability to reproduce offspring), lactational amenorrhea may be absent. If your mother, grandmother, or other blood relatives did not have her, then the likelihood that she will not be with you is very high. In this case, the frequency and duration of application of the baby to the chest does not matter.

Lack of menstruation after completion of lactation

If a woman stops breastfeeding, prolactin levels drop. This contributes to the production of hormones responsible for follicular maturation. Therefore, after the completion of lactation, the menstrual cycle should resume within 1-2 months. If menstruation does not occur, this is not the norm. This happens with a hormonal disorder, which is easily corrected through hormone therapy.

Advice! In the absence of menstruation after completing breastfeeding, visit a gynecologist. He will give directions to ultrasound of the pelvic organs and a blood test to detect hormonal levels. Your doctor will also check to see if this condition is related to a new pregnancy.

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Lactational amenorrhea as a method of contraception

Lactational amenorrhea suppresses ovulation. This means that during her it is impossible to get pregnant. Therefore, women perceive this period as a method of contraception. However, it guarantees high effectiveness in preventing unwanted pregnancy only if each of the following conditions is met:

• The child is not 6 months old;
• The kid does not suck the dummy. A child who has satisfied his sucking reflex may suckle less intensely;
• The intervals between feedings do not exceed 3-4 hours, even at night;
• Mom does not give the child water and does not feed him with a mixture - exclusively GV;
• The first lure has not yet been introduced;
• Mom breastfeeds even if she is sick;
• After childbirth, there was not a single menstruation;
• If the mother begins to have breast problems (stagnation of milk, lactostasis, breast swelling), then the effectiveness of lactational amenorrhea is reduced to almost zero

Attention! Feeding breast milk from a bottle cannot prevent a new pregnancy. Pumping hands or using a breast pump does not stimulate the nipples properly. Therefore, ovulation can occur at any time.

Advantages and disadvantages of the method

Advantages of lactational amenorrhea as a method of contraception:

• Naturalness. This method is donated by nature itself, and it is safe for the baby;
• Free. There is no need to buy special contraceptives at the pharmacy;
• Simplicity. Know yourself, feed the baby and enjoy the absence of menstruation and pregnancy;
• Efficiency 98% method. The same result is provided only by oral, injectable and barrier contraceptives.

The disadvantages of the method:

• Short validity period. 6 months after birth, the effectiveness of this method of contraception decreases;
• The need to comply with all conditions. If you violate even one item from the list of conditions that ensure the effectiveness of the method, you can no longer rely on it;
• Lack of protection against genital infections. Only barrier methods of contraception can protect against STDs.

Attention! With the resumption of the menstrual cycle, ovulation occurs first, and only then - menstruation. Therefore, the first ovulation goes unnoticed. That is why it is so important to observe conditions that prevent the eggs from ripening. If in doubt about the effectiveness of lactational amenorrhea, consider other ways to prevent an unwanted pregnancy.During lactation, you can use barrier and some types of oral contraceptives, which are prescribed by your doctor.

Can lactational amenorrhea be confused with pregnancy

No contraceptive method provides 100% protection against a new pregnancy. The risk of becoming pregnant during lactational amenorrhea is 2-3%. The unpleasantness of this phenomenon is that pregnancy in this case is the last thing a woman suspects. Often, she finds out about her situation only at 16-20 weeks, when the first movements of the fetus begin.

If a woman leads a sexual life during amenorrhea, then she should be alert symptoms of early toxicosis. This is a good reason to visit a gynecologist. The most accurate way to find out if a woman is pregnant is to detect the level of hCG in the blood together with an ultrasound scan. Early diagnosis will help in a timely decision to maintain or terminate a pregnancy.

Lactational amenorrhea is a physiologically normal phenomenon for a woman after childbirth if she is breastfeeding. The duration of this period depends on hereditary and individual factors. Under certain conditions, it is almost impossible to get pregnant at this time. But, like all methods of contraception, lactational amenorrhea does not protect against unwanted pregnancy by 100%.

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