This article is part of a series on using breastfeeding as birth control.
How long do I remain infertile for if I breastfeed?
Q: I gave birth 6 months ago and my periods are still not back, probably because I'm still breastfeeding. How long will I remain infertile for?
A: No period doesn't necessarily mean no fertility. The lactational amenorrhea method (LAM) states that to be 99.5% certain you're infertile you need to meet all the following criteria:
- your baby is under 6 months
- you don't have you periods
- you practise exclusive or quasi-exclusive breastfeeding on demand, day and night
This means that assuming you breastfeed your baby exclusively and that your periods aren't back, you can be almost certain you'll be infertile for at least 6 months.
If you keep breastfeeding beyond that chances are you'll remain infertile beyond 6 months. Some nursing mothers do not recover their fertility for 1 to 2 years after birth and, in some rare cases, even beyond that.
Some mothers wrongly think that they can just breastfeed occasionally and be protected during the first 6 months. This is not true. You have to practice exclusive breastfeeding to stay infertile for at least 6 months. This means your baby should eat no other solid or liquid than your breast milk.
This is, by the way, not only necessary for the birth control purposes but also the best thing you can do for the health of your baby. All medical professionals recommend exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months old. It is for instance what the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officially recommends on their website.
Producing a high enough volume of milk to exclusively breastfeed their baby might be difficult for some women.
We find Milk Boost Tea to be a considerable help if that's your case. It's a 100% natural herbal tea designed to help you boost your milk volume as well as the quality of your breast milk.
Milk Boost Tea may help you with your milk supply
Among its ingredients is Dong Quai, a root also known as the "female ginseng" for its wide range of health benefits for women. It also contains Sponge gourds (Loofah), famous for their ability to facilitate lactation.
You might also be interested by the other articles in our series about using breastfeeding as birth control:
Article tags: Breastfeeding and maternity
