|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By Suzanne Rostler
NEW YORK, Mar 08 (Reuters Health) - The old wives' tale that a woman will not become pregnant while breast-feeding may be an even taller tale for working women, study findings suggest.
Working women who rely on breast-feeding for birth control may be more likely than their stay-at-home peers to become pregnant, investigators found. In their study, published in a recent issue of the journal Contraception, more than 5% of breast-feeding women who returned to work became pregnant within 6 months of the birth of their child.
Previous research has suggested that less than 2% of women who breast-feed exclusively will become pregnant within 6 months.
"Our recommendation is that returning to work should be considered a risk factor in the use of (relying on breast-feeding for birth control) and women should be informed of this," according to Dr. Veronica Valdes from Chile Medical School in Santiago, Chile and colleagues.
Women who breast-feed exclusively do not menstruate and may believe that they are protected from pregnancy. However, a breast-feeding woman may ovulate and become pregnant before ever having resumed menstruation.
The study included 170 urban, middle-class women in Chile, who were counseled on ways to continue breast-feeding after returning to work and taught how to express milk manually. All women relied on their breast-feeding for birth control.
None of the women became pregnant in the first 3 months or before they returned to work. One working mother became pregnant 4 months later, one 5 months later and one 6 months later. The overall risk of pregnancy among this group was estimated at 5.2%.
In an interview with Reuters Health, Dr. Miriam H. Labbok, a study author, suggested that mothers who work may miss out on olfactory or physical stimuli that can effect their hormones in a way that would protect against pregnancy.
"There may be other factors...when the infant is present that are lost with separation from the infant," she said.
SOURCE: Contraception 2001;62:217-219.
| Health Topics | Drug Information | Dictionaries | Directories | Other Resources |
|
U.S. National Library of Medicine, 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20894
Copyright and Privacy Policy, We welcome your comments. Last updated: 09 March 2001 |