Is It Possible To Conceive While Breastfeeding?
There are many women who have this doubt. Most think that it is not possible to conceive while breastfeeding, due to the absence of menstruation during these months. It happens very often, therefore, that, trusting in this fact, many women become pregnant without having planned it.
The reality is that, even if this is a remote possibility, it is possible to conceive while breastfeeding . Breastfeeding can be a contraceptive method, but the conditions that make it really effective are many and they hardly occur.
In the following lines, we will examine some topics that will allow us to better understand the fertility of women during this period and thus avoid an unwanted pregnancy.
What Happens in a Woman’s Body While Breastfeeding?
When a woman has just become a mother, she generally needs between 3 and 8 months to get her period again on a regular basis. The cause that makes this time necessary is mainly due to breastfeeding. This aspect is even more evident when the newborn feeds exclusively on mother’s milk.
But how does breastfeeding affect a woman’s menstrual cycle? There is a direct relationship between the baby’s sucking and the absence of ovulation. The reason lies in the hormonal changes produced by this sucking, which prevent ovulation from occurring.
Without ovulation, there is no menstruation and no chance of pregnancy. Normally, little by little, the woman’s body returns to normal, menstruation is regularized and, with them, the possibility of conceiving reappears. However, despite this medical certainty, the process is complex and different for every woman.
Some women may start ovulating before they get their period again. This means that they can return to ovulate at any time and be unaware of it. In this case, the risk of conceiving while breastfeeding will be very high.
Breastfeeding as a method of contraception
The contraceptive effect of breastfeeding has been called APPLE: Method of Lactation and Amenorrhea. Even though it is 99% effective, there are some requirements that must be strictly met.
The first of these consists in the fact that the woman has not yet had her period and that less than six months have passed since the birth. It is also necessary that the baby feeds only on mother’s milk, and that he does so often, during the day and night. The time between feedings should not exceed four hours during the day and six hours at night.
Furthermore, artificial milk should not be used to feed the baby, nor should it be supplemented with any solid food. Expressing milk instead of breastfeeding directly will also reduce the effectiveness of this method.
If all these conditions are met to the letter, it will be very unlikely that a woman will conceive while breastfeeding. However, if any of them are not observed one hundred percent, the risk of an unwanted pregnancy increases considerably.
Yes, it is possible to conceive while breastfeeding
Although breastfeeding can be used as a method of contraception, the conditions for which it is a safe system are many and not always easy to satisfy. Yes, a woman can conceive while breastfeeding , so if the couple does not want this pregnancy, it is recommended that they resort to other methods of birth control.
It is necessary for the couple to consult a gynecologist who can advise them on the best choice to make. The choice of the most suitable method will depend on many factors, such as the personal situation of each woman and the particular period she is going through.
The condom is, undoubtedly, the best option. It has no effect on the mother’s hormones and therefore does not interfere with the baby’s nutrition. However, if you don’t want to use this birth control system, there are other possibilities as well
The mini-pill is also an excellent alternative. It looks a lot like the classic birth control pill, but it does not contain estrogen. For this reason it is possible to take it during the breastfeeding period, because it has no effect on the infant’s nutrition.
Another very safe possibility with regard to efficacy and completely harmless for the baby is represented by the intrauterine coil or IUD. However, doctors do not recommend its use until six weeks after delivery. A good choice would be to combine this device, after this period of time, with the use of a condom during the first few weeks.
