There is considerable variation in the length of the postpartum amenor
rhea during which breastfeeding suppresses fertility, both within and
between societies. In this paper, we investigate the association betwe
en breastfeeding and the resumption of menses and the impact of variou
s biological and social covariates thereon, using data from two retros
pective surveys in India. We use both univariate life table and multiv
ariate time-dependent hazards techniques to analyze the data. Most pri
or investigations related the impact of breastfeeding to postpartum am
enorrhea by taking duration of breastfeeding as a fixed covariate. How
ever, breastfeeding beyond the resumption of menstruation cannot affec
t the duration of menses. Accordingly, the present study has a methodo
logical focus in the sense that breastfeeding is treated as a time-dep
endent covariate. We found that breastfeeding, age of mother at child'
s birth, social status, level of income, religion and caste (subcaste)
, and residential status have significant effects on return of menses
in Indian traditional society.