Are You Ready To Conceive While Breastfeeding?
Are you ready to conceive while breastfeeding ? Many women have asked themselves this question before.
Most believe it is not possible as the period skips during these months. Even so, women repeatedly get unplanned pregnant while breastfeeding .
This rarely happens, but it is possible.
This article will teach you more about how to prevent an unplanned pregnancy.
What happens to a woman’s body while breastfeeding?
When a woman has just become a mother, it usually takes between three and eight months for her periods to start again.
Breastfeeding plays an important role in this. Hormonal changes triggered by the baby’s breastfeeding usually prevent ovulation during this time.
Without ovulation, there will be no menstruation and therefore no pregnancy. But a woman’s body gradually returns to its normal rhythm.
Once menstruation returns, a woman can get pregnant again. But this process is different for every woman, because it is a complex process.
Some women even ovulate before they get their period. This means that the woman could become pregnant, even while breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding as a method of contraception
Contraception while breastfeeding is also known as the lactation menorrhea method. While it is 99% effective, there are a few things to consider.
- The first requirement is that the woman has not yet had a period and that the birth was less than 6 months ago.
- The baby must be fed exclusively with breast milk, because breastfeeding must take place frequently, both during the day and at night.
- The time between sessions should not be more than 4 hours during the day and 6 hours at night.
- So you shouldn’t feed your baby additionally with the bottle. If you are expressing milk, this method will be less effective.
As long as all of these conditions are met, a woman is unlikely to become pregnant while breastfeeding.
However, the risk of an unplanned pregnancy increases significantly as soon as one of these criteria is not met one hundred percent.
Conception while breastfeeding is possible
As already mentioned, breastfeeding can be used as a contraceptive method as long as certain basic requirements are met.
However, a woman can become pregnant while breastfeeding. Therefore, you should use additional methods of contraception if you are not planning a pregnancy.
A gynecologist can advise you on the best method. Choosing the right method of contraception depends on a number of factors.
For example, the personal situation and the condition of the woman play an important role. Usually condoms are recommended as they have no further influence on mother or child.
But there are also other options: The mini pill works similarly to the classic birth control pill, but does not contain estrogen. Therefore, it can also be taken while breastfeeding.
IUDs are also an effective and safe method of contraception during breastfeeding. However, this should not be used before the sixth week after the baby is born.
You can also combine two methods: first condoms and then from the sixth week the IUD. Get advice from your gynecologist.
