Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-l7hp2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T04:04:48.588Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Nursing Practices and Lactation Amenorrhoea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

Marjorie F. Elias
Affiliation:
Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Jane Teas
Affiliation:
Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Johanna Johnston
Affiliation:
Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Carolyn Bora
Affiliation:
Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Summary

The study examines the effects of nursing practices on the duration of lactation in middle-class American women. Thirty-two nursing mothers were followed for 2 years post-partum, data being collected at eight home visits by interview and by nursing records kept by the mothers. Those women who nursed frequently (>8/day) during exclusive breastfeeding remained amenorrhoeic longer than infrequent nursers, introduced supplements later and did not resume menses as promptly thereafter. They continued an hour or more of night nursing during supplemented nursing. Duration of exclusive nursing and night nursing after supplementation were the major influences on duration of amenorrhoea. Mothers' age, weight-for-height, and nursing frequency before supplementation showed no significant effect but night nursing after supplementation was a major factor in post-supplementation duration of amenorrhoea. Those women who both supplemented later and maintained an hour of night nursing after supplementing remained amenorrhoeic for 6–10 months longer than those who supplemented early and/or reduced subsequent night nursing.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1986

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adnan, A.M. & Bakr, S.A. (1983) Postpartum lactational amenorrhoea as a means of family planning in the Sudan: a study of 500 cases. J. biosoc. Sci. 15, 9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ahn, C.H. & MacLean, W.C. (1980) Growth of the exclusively breast-fed infant. Am. J. clin. Nutr. 33, 183.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Altmann, J., Altmann, S.A. & Hausfater, G. (1978). Primate infant's effects on mother's future reproduction. Science, N.Y. 201, 1028.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bongaarts, J. (1980) Does malnutrition affect fecundity? A summary of evidence. Science, N.Y. 208, 564.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bongaarts, J. (1982) Malnutrition and fertility [Reply to Frisch]. Science, N.Y. 215, 1273.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chandra, R.K. (1982) Physical growth of exclusively breast-fed infants. Nutr. Res. 2, 275.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dada, O.A. & Laditan, A.A.O. (1982) Circulating hormonal levels during prolonged lactational amenorrhea. Clin. Chim. Acta, 123, 287.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Delgado, H.L., Martorell, R. & Klein, R.E. (1982) Nutrition, lactation, and birth interval components in rural Guatemala. Am. J. clin. Nutr. 35, 1468.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Delvoye, P., Demaegd, M., Delogne-Desnoeck, J. & Robyn, C. (1977) The influence of the frequency of nursing and of previous lactation experience on serum prolactin in lactating mothers. J. biosoc. Sci. 9, 447.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Delvoye, P. & Robyn, C. (1980) Breast-feeding and post partum amenorrhea in Central Africa. J. Pediat. 26, 184.Google ScholarPubMed
Diaz, S., Peralto, O., Juez, G., Salvatierra, A.M., Casado, M.E., Duran, E. & Croxatto, H.B. (1982) Fertility regulation in nursing women: I. The probability of conception in full nursing women living in an urban setting. J. biosoc. Sci. 14, 329.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frisch, R.E. (1975) Demographic implications of the biological determinants of female fecundity. Social Biol. 22, 18.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Frisch, R.E. (1982) Malnutrition and fertility [Reply to Bongaarts]. Science, N.Y. 215, 1272.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Howie, P.W. & McNeilly, A.S. (1982) Contraceptive effect of breast feeding [Editorial]. J. trop. Pediat. 28, ii.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Howie, P.W., McNeilly, A.S., Houston, M.J., Cook, A. & Boyle, H. (1981) Effect of supplementary food on suckling patterns and ovarian activity during lactation. Br. med. J. 283, 757.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Howie, P.W., McNeilly, A.S., Houston, M.J., Cook, A. & Boyle, H. (1982a) Fertility after childbirth: post-partum ovulation and menstruation in bottle and breast feeding mothers. Clin. Endocr. 17, 323.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Howie, P.W., McNeilly, A.S., Houston, M.J., Cook, A. & Boyle, H. (1982b) Fertility after childbirth: infant feeding patterns, basal PRL levels and post-partum ovulation. Clin. Endocr. 17, 315.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Huffman, S.L., Chowdhury, A.K.M.A. & Mosley, W.H. (1978) Postpartum amenorrhea: how is it affected by maternal nutritional status? Science, N.Y. 200, 1155.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Knauer, M.J. (1983) Breastfeeding practices and postpartum fertility in urban Canadian women. Paper presented at meetings of the American Anthropological Association,Chicago.Google Scholar
Knodel, J. (1977) Breast-feeding and population growth. Science, N.Y. 198, 1111.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Konner, M. & Worthman, C. (1980) Nursing frequency, gonadal function, and birth spacing among !Kung hunter-gatherers. Science, N.Y. 207, 788.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Leridon, H. (1977) Human Fertility: the Basic Components. University of Illinois Press, Chicago.Google Scholar
McNeilly, A.S., Glasier, A. F., Howie, P.W., Houston, M. J., Cook, A. & Boyle, H. (1983) Fertility after childbirth: pregnancy associated with breast feeding. Clin. Endocr. 18, 167.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Plant, T.M., Schallenberger, P., Hess, D.L., McCormack, J.T., Dufy-Barbe, L. & Knobil, E. (1980) Influence of suckling on gonadotropin secretion in the female rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta). Biol. Reprod. 23, 760.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Richards, M.P.M. & Bernal, J.F. (1972) An observational study of mother-infant interaction. In: Ethological Studies of Child Behaviour. Edited by Jones, N. Blurton. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Rosa, R. W. (1976) Breast feeding: a motive for family planning. People, 3, 10.Google ScholarPubMed
Short, R.V. (1984) Breast feeding. Scient. Am. 250, 35.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Silk, J.B. (1978) Patterns of food sharing among mother and infant chimpanzees at Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania. Folia Primatol. 29, 129.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Simpson-Hebert, M. & Huffman, S.L. (1981) The contraceptive effect of breastfeeding. Stud. Fam. Plann. 12, 125.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Starin, E.D. (1978) Food transfer by wild titi monkeys (Callicebus torquatus torquatus). Folia Primatol. 30, 145.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van Ginneken, J.K. (1974) Prolonged breastfeeding as a birth spacing method. Stud. Fam. Plann. 5, 201.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van Ginneken, J.K. (1977) The chance of conception during lactation. J. biosoc. Sci. Suppl. 4, 41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
World Health Organization (1981) Contemporary Patterns of Breast-feeding: Report on the WHO Collaborative Study on Breast-feeding. WHO, Geneva.Google Scholar