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Breast Feeding
When a woman is breast-feeding exclusively (not adding formula or baby food to the baby's diet, only feeding the baby breast milk) with feedings no more than 4 hours apart AND her baby is less than 6 months old, AND her periods have not returned after giving birth, breastfeeding is 98-99% effective for birth control.
If a woman is currently breastfeeding and her baby is older than 6 months, she may want to seek a birth control method that does not contain hormones that can be passed to her baby through breast milk. Furthermore some hormone methods decrease milk production.
Learn about:
- using fertility awareness to achieve or prevent pregnancy naturally
- using a speculum to perform self-exam to see your cervix (inside the vagina, the opening to the uterus) through which menstrual blood, babies, and sperm pass
- women's natural menstrual cycle
Further References
Emergency Contraception (The "Morning After" Pill - "Plan B" - "EC")
You can prevent pregnancy after sexual intercourse by taking Emergency Contraception pills (Plan B). Plan B works by giving the body a short burst of synthetic hormones that disrupt the hormone patterns needed for a pregnancy to start. Emergency Contraception is most effective in the first 24-48 hours after unprotected intercourse, but it can work for several days.
To find Emergency Contraception, see ec.princeton.edu. If you already have birth control pills in your possession, this page explains how to use them as emergency contraception.
In Washington State, you can get Plan B directly from your pharmacy. Call ahead to make sure they have it in stock. Some women are buying Plan B in advance (it costs around $35-50) so they will have it on hand if they need it.
March 13, 2009
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