V. Hightlaukaran et al., CONTRACEPTIVE USE DURING LACTATIONAL AMENORRHEA, International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics, 54(2), 1996, pp. 101-108
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.