CONTRACEPTIVE USE DURING LACTATIONAL AMENORRHEA

Objective: The study uses data from nationally representative sample s urveys in developing countries to estimate the overlap between lactati onal amenorrhea and contraceptive use during the first 6 months postpa rtum. Method. Secondary analyses of survey data were used to tabulate the proportion of the population in lactational amenorrhea among contr aceptive users for all women, for postpartum women and for the country as a whole. Results. Among postpartum women, the proportion in lactat ional amenorrhea was particularly high in Africa and the Near East and lower in Latin America and the Caribbean where breast-feeding practic es have declined. The median duration of use for oral contraceptives i s also presented as an aid to interpreting the significance of the fin dings. Conclusions: The significance of the findings is considered in the context of planning reproductive health services in the postpartum period. Decisions about timing of contraceptive use for postpartum wo men, while arrived at on an individual basis, also result from program strategies that focus counseling immediately postpartum or at a later interval, such as when menses resume. On a national level the impact of postpartum contraception policies on use of commodities may be subs tantial.