Is Sterilization Right for Me?
Having kids isn’t in your immediate or long-term future, and you’re exploring whether sterilization is right for you. Here, we present some information about tubal ligation to help with your decision-making.
Do I Still Need Birth Control If I'm Breastfeeding?
You’ve started or added to your family with a newborn, and you want to devote all of your attention to this new arrival for the near future. In other words, you want to avoid getting pregnant until you’re ready again.
If you’ve heard that you can’t get pregnant while you breastfeed, the team of obstetric experts here at Capital Women’s Care wants to shed some important light on this form of birth control.
Using breastfeeding as birth control
If you want to rely on breastfeeding as birth control after your delivery, there are some guidelines that are extremely important. Yes, breastfeeding can protect you against pregnancy, but only under certain circumstances.
The reason why many women who breastfeed can’t get pregnant is due to lactational amenorrhea (LAM), which means you’re not ovulating and getting your periods during this time.
If you haven’t yet had a period since your baby was born, LAM can last for up to 6 months after childbirth, if you follow these guidelines:
- Breastfeed every 4 hours during the day
- Breastfeed every 6 hours during the night
- Don’t feed your baby formula or baby foods during this time
By following these guidelines, you shouldn’t ovulate, which protects you against pregnancy. In fact, if you have LAM, you can enjoy up to 6 months of fairly solid protection against pregnancy — the approach can be up to 98% effective.
What happens if you don’t achieve LAM
To give you an idea about what can happen if you don’t follow these guidelines, women who aren’t breastfeeding can start to ovulate within a few weeks after delivery.
So, if you break your breastfeeding regimen, your body can respond quickly and begin its ovulation cycles again, which means you can get pregnant again.
Additional protection against pregnancy
If you don’t feel comfortable relying solely on breastfeeding as your birth control, the good news is that most options are available to you after you give birth, including:
- Hormonal pills, patches, injections, and implants
- Condoms, diaphragm, cervical cap, and sponges
- Intrauterine device (IUD)
- Abstinence
Some women find that the rigorous breastfeeding schedule needed to get to the pregnancy protection afforded by LAM is too much and prefer to have back-up protection, in which case the above methods can help.
The bottom line is that relying on breastfeeding for birth control during the first six months after delivery is an option, if you’re committed to the process. You can also start on this path and, should you run into challenges with breastfeeding, you can switch course and get protected right away with an IUD or similar method.
Our team can guide you in your family planning goals, providing you with the tools and information you need.
If you have more questions about breastfeeding as birth control or your other options for postpartum protection against pregnancy, we’re here to help. Simply contact one of our three conveniently located offices in Frederick and Mount Airy, Maryland, to schedule a consultation.
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