Does Breastfeeding work as a Contraceptive?
Whether breastfeeding can work as a contraceptive to prevent pregnancy is probably one of the biggest misunderstandings when it comes to Fertility Awareness. The answer is yes – but! There are very specific guidelines to be followed, which most women are not aware of when they start their breastfeeding journey. If you do not follow these, then breastfeeding will not prevent pregnancy.
How can Breastfeeding prevent pregnancy?
When you are breastfeeding, your body produces the hormone Prolactin. Prolactin shuts off the communication between your brain and your ovaries – which interferes with ovulation. However the lines of communication can be reopened anytime there is a change in the way that you are breastfeeding.
In order to use breastfeeding to delay your return to fertility, you must learn about Fertility Awareness, and understand what is meant by ‘exclusive breastfeeding’, what can wake up the ovaries, and also what signs of fertility to look out for on a day to day basis.
Methods of Fertility Awareness when Breastfeeding
Natural Fertility NZ teaches 2 methods:
Lactational Amenorrhoea Method
The Lactational Amenorrhoea Method (LAM) is the method that can be used from birth up until when your baby is 6 months old. It relies on you exclusively breastfeeding, and not having had any bleeding from 8 weeks after birth. It is important to get support from a Fertility Educator when practicing this method, so that you understand full what ‘exclusive breastfeeding’ means in the context of Fertility Awareness AND what to do if you experience any bleeding before those 6 months are up.
Breastfeeding Charting
Breastfeeding Charting is the method that you switch to at 6 months, or if you no longer meet the criteria for LAM. It is a time of transition for your body, and so extra care needs to be taken. You will learn how to record your signs of fertility, and details of your baby’s feeding and sleeping patterns. You’ll then learn how to interpret the information in relation to your fertility.
Once your fertility has completely returned, you can then move onto using the Sympto-thermal Method. Some women are able to delay the full return of their fertility for many months using this method.
How do I learn about my Fertility while Breastfeeding?
Choose your Fertility Educator, and organise your first appointment. You will meet with your Educator 3 times, and have regular check-ins with them;
- Preferably before you have your baby, to understand what your goals are, choose the right method, and to make sure you are equipped with the information you need to support both breastfeeding, and what you need to do to delay your return to fertility.
- Your second appointment will be after you have given birth, at this appointment your Educator will ensure that you still meet the criteria for your chosen method.
Between this appointment and the next, your Educator will reach out periodically so that you can update them on your breastfeeding.
- The third appointment will happen when you are ready to transition to Breastfeeding Charting – this will either be when your baby is 6 months old, or earlier if you no longer meet the criteria for LAM.
Although breastfeeding can delay the return of your fertility – for some women it does not delay it for very long, so it is vital that you know what to look out for, so that you do not risk an unplanned pregnancy.
Read Lena’s Fertility Story
After using the Sympto-thermal Method for around 6 years to avoid pregnancy, the time came to start trying for a baby. After giving birth, I then started using the Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM) of Natural Fertility Awareness. This is a separate method that supports breastfeeding in the first 6 months after birth, and tracks your return to fertility during the breastfeeding stage. Read More…
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