Did You Know Breastfeeding is a 98% Effective Method of Birth Control? Neither Did I.
August is National Breastfeeding Month, aimed at teaching people all the benefits of breastfeeding! One of these is its potent power as birth control. Many people find it difficult to believe that breastfeeding can actually be used as an effective form of birth control. But alongside its plethora of benefits for babies – improved health, stronger bones, lower rate of sudden infant death, etc – breastfeeding can also be used as birth control. It’s like magic! Actually, not really. But if practiced correctly, breastfeeding can be up to 98% effective as birth control.
To debunk the process, Planned Parenthood of New York City is hosting its very own training, “Milk and Eggs: Answering Questions about Breastfeeding and Birth Control,” for professionals, educators, social workers, lactation counselors and others interested in providing new parents with support through their breastfeeding journeys. Some of the questions the workshop will answer include: When is it okay to use Depo Provera or have an IUD inserted after birth? How can breastfeeding individuals use the Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM) as a form of pregnancy prevention?
Curious to learn more, Emily Ramirez, PPNYC’s Digital Media Associate, sat with Carissa Rountree, PPNYC’s Training Institute Coordinator, and Dolores Polanco, PPNYC’s Senior Sexuality Educator and Trainer for Youth Programs, for a talk about the training. Carissa and Dolores will lead the training on August 8. Participants who attend will discuss the basic mechanisms of lactation and the nuances of LAM as a birth control method, learn the basics of hormonal birth control and how hormones affect milk production, and categorize the various methods of birth control based on their probable impact on milk production.
E: So, what is the “Milk and Eggs” training all about?
C: PPNYC’s Training Institute offers training for professionals on a number of sexual and reproductive health-related topics. We often talk about birth control here at PPNYC, and we also have CLCs (Certified Lactation Counselors) on staff – so we started thinking more about how we can support people post-birth, including helping them better understand their contraceptive options after pregnancy. There are a lot of misconceptions and questions about birth control – which ones are okay to use, how lactation amenorrhea works – so we thought this might be an interesting topic to discuss at the Training Institute.
E: What is lactation amenorrhea?
Lactation amenorrhea is when your body naturally stops ovulating while breastfeeding.
There are three requirements for lactation amenorrhea to be relied upon as a birth control method – which is called the Lactational Amenorrhea Method, or LAM for short. The requirements are: 1) exclusive breastfeeding is happening, which means no bottles, no pacifiers, or formula are being given to the babies; 2) that the parent is breastfeeding at least every four hours during the day and every six hours during the night; and 3) that the baby is not yet six months old (at six months, people start to introduce food and water to their child and that wouldn’t meet the requirements of exclusive breastfeeding). Also, if the person’s period has come back, that’s a sign that their cycle has started up again and they should use another method of birth control.
This is just an overview of the Lactational Amenorrhea Method. During the training, we’ll also talk about the menstrual cycle, how milk production works, and the wide range of birth control methods available that a person might choose after birth.
E: Why might a person choose not to use hormonal birth control while breastfeeding?
C: Some methods, such as the combined hormonal methods (birth control that uses hormones to control ovulation), are often found to have an impact on milk supply, so they are not recommended during breastfeeding. Other methods, like progestin only, may have an impact on milk supply, so it’s suggested to start those methods after six weeks post-partum – when milk supply is established. So we’ll be talking about what those options look like and how they can be used.
Gif by Public Displays of Affection.
E: Why do you think it’s important for parents to know about the lactation amenorrhea method? Who are you targeting?
C: For this training, we are hoping that community support people will be joining us, whether that be people who provide breastfeeding support and see people who are breastfeeding frequently, or in other nonprofit organizations where new mothers might be getting support in different ways. People at the training don’t need to be contraception counselors, but having this information can help anyone be supportive of people breastfeeding both within and outside the organizations where they work. I think it’s important to know the details of using LAM to prevent pregnancy because there are a lot of misconceptions about it – people think that as long as they’re breastfeeding at all, they’re not able to get pregnant – which isn’t the case! You have to know the rules and know when to transition to a new birth control method, and which methods may help a person meet their personal birth control and breastfeeding goals.
E: What are the benefits of attending this training?
D: To learn, of course, and you can also receive credits to continue your certification as a lactation consultant. In order to be certified, or be able to provide counseling to anyone who is currently trying to breastfeed, we need to be certified. To get that certification, you need to keep taking classes to stay up to date.
E: What is the importance of having people certified in lactation training and guide recent mothers?
D: Sometimes, lack of support stops mothers from breastfeeding. When they lack the support from family members or the hospital, it might stop them from breastfeeding, which is a healthy way to feed their baby.
E: Anything else you want to add?
C: Yeah! We encourage people from all professions and walks of life to join the training. The activities we do in the Training Institute are often ones that you can take and do with your own group.
Join us for “Milk and Eggs”! The training is August 8th from 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. and it’s at our Margaret Sanger Center in Manhattan. Register at ppnyc.org/training.
