Did you know that breastfeeding can be used as a method of contraception?

This method of birth control is called the Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM).

The hormones that produce breastmilk also stop the ovaries from releasing an egg for the first 6 months after giving birth. LAM is a natural form of birth control and there are no side effects. It is 98% effective in preventing pregnancy only if you answer “Yes” to ALL of the three statements below.

• My baby is less than 6 months old, AND
• My period has not started since my baby was born (2 days of bleeding any time after your baby is 8 weeks old is your period), AND
• My baby is being exclusively breastfed (only feeding baby breastmilk at least every 4 hours during the day and at least every 6 hours at night)

What birth control can you use while breastfeeding?

There are other options that are safe to use for birth control and will not affect your milk supply:

• Micronor – this medication is a progesterone-only pill. This means that there is no estrogen in this medication and therefore, it will not affect your milk supply.
• Condoms – Free at Clinic Services locations
• Emergency Contraception (The Morning After Pill) – this medication is a progesterone-only and is available without a prescription from your local pharmacy and can be taken up to 5 days after unprotected sex (no other birth control method is used or the condom breaks)