Hostname: page-component-7dd5485656-j7khd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-10-31T02:16:38.186Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Breast-feeding patterns, maternal milk output and lactational infecundity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

Peter G. Lunn
Peter G. Lunn
Affiliation:
MRC Dunn Nutrition Centre, Cambridge
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Whilst it is generally accepted that breast-feeding lowers the likelihood of conception, this relationship is not straightforward and there appears to be a wide variation in the effectiveness of the association between individual mother-infant pairs. Up to about 6 months post-partum breast-feeding probably can be used as a family planning method, with up to 98% effectiveness if behavioural guidelines are adhered to (Consensus, 1988). But beyond this time significant variations appear between different countries, and even different communities within countries, which make any overall recommendation impossible. To understand the reasons for variation in the duration of lactational infecundity it is necessary to understand the mechanisms involved, but knowledge of these processes is still far from complete. There are, nevertheless, enough data to indicate that suckling and maternal milk output are intimately linked with the return of fecundity.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 24 , Special Issue 3: Workshop on Methodology and Protocol of Human Fertility Studies under Field Conditions , July 1992 , pp. 317 - 324
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

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.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Arthur, P. G., Hartman, P. E. & Smith, M. (1987) Measurement of the milk intake of breast fed infants. J. Pediatr. Gastroenterol. Nutr. 6, 758.Google ScholarPubMed
Bowen-Jones, A., Thompson, C. & Drewett, R. F. (1982) Milk flow and suckling rates during breast feeding. Devi Med. Child Neural. 24, 626.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Butte, N. F. & Garza, C. (1985) Energy and protein intakes of exclusively breastfed infants during the first four months of life. In: Nutritional Needs and Assessment of Normal Growth. Edited by Gracey, M. & Falkner, F.. Nestle Nutrition Workshop Series, Vol. 7. Raven Press, New York.Google Scholar
Consensus (1988) Consensus statement: breastfeeding as a family planning method. Lancet, ii, 1204.Google Scholar
Coward, W. A. (1982) Measuring milk intake in breast-fed babies. J. Pediatr. Gastroenterol. Nutr. 3, 275.Google Scholar
Coward, W. A., Cole, T. J., Sawyer, M. B., Prentice, A. M. & Orr-Ewing, A. K. (1982) Breast milk intake measurement in mixed-fed infants by administration of deuterium oxide to their mothers. Hum. Nutr. clin. Nutr. 36C, 141.Google Scholar
Coward, W. A., Whitehead, R. G., Sawyer, M. B., Prentice, A. M. & Evans, J. (1979) New method for measuring milk intakes in breast-fed babies. Lancet, ii, 13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Delgado, M. 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., Uwayitu-Nyampets, & Robyn, C. (1978) Serum prolactin, gonado-trophins and estradiol in mensturating and amenorrheic mothers during two years lactation. Am. J. Obstet. Gynec. 130, 635.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diaz, S., Seron-Ferre, M., Cardenas, H., Schiappacasse, V., Brandeis, A. & Croxatto, H. B. (1989) Circadian variation of basal plasma prolactin, prolactin response to suckling and length of amenorrhea in nursing women. J. clin. Endocr. Metab. 68, 660.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ellison, P. T. (1990) In: Applications of Biological Anthropology to Human Affairs. Edited by Lasker, G. W. & Mascie-Taylor, C. G. N.. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Ford, K. & Huffman, S. (1988) Nutrition, infant feeding and post-partum amenorrhoea in rural Bangladesh. J biosoc. Sci. 20, 461.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Garza, C., Butte, N. F, Stuff, J. E., Motil, K. J., Montandon, C. M. & Schanler, E. J. (1986) Estimating intakes of breastfed infants. In: The Breastfed Infant: A Model for Performance. Ross Laboratories, Columbus, Ohio.Google Scholar
Glasier, A., McNeilly, A. S. & Howie, P. W. (1984) Pulsatile secretion of LH in relation to the resumption of ovarian activity post-partum. Clin. Endocr. 19, 493.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glasier, A., McNeilly, A. S. & Howie, P. W. (1986) The prolactin response to suckling. Clin. Endocr. 21, 109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hendrickson, E. C., Seacat, J. M. & Neville, M. C. (1985) Insensible weight loss in children under one year of age. Acta paediat. scand. 74, 678.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
How, T. V., Ashmore, M. P., Rolfe, P., Lucas, A., Lucas, P. J. & Baum, J. D. (1979) A Doppler ultrasound technique for measuring human milk flow. J. Med. Eng. Technol. 3, 66.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
Huffman, S. L., Chowdhury, A.K. M, Chakraborty, J. & Simpson, N. K. (1980) Breast-feeding patterns in rural Bangladesh. Am. J. clin. Nutr. 33, 144.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jakubowski, M. & Terkel, J. (1986) Prolactin release and milk ejection in rats suckling underfed pups. Endocrinology, 118, 8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Konner, M. J. & Worthman, C. M. (1980) Nursing frequency, gonadal function and birth spacing among IKung hunter-gatherers. Science, N.Y. 207, 788.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Loudon, A. I., McNeilly, A. S. & Milne, J. A. (1983) Nutrition and lactational control of fertility in red deer. Nature, Land. 302, 145.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lunn, P. G. (1985) Maternal nutrition and lactational infertility: the baby in the driving seat. In: Maternal Nutrition and Lactational Infertility. Edited by Dobbing, J.. Nestlé Nutrition Workshop Series, Vol. 19. Nestlé Nutrition, Vevey/Raven Press, New York.Google Scholar
Lunn, P. G., Prentice, A. M., Austin, S. & Whitehead, R. G. (1980) Influence of maternal diet on plasma prolactin levels during lactation. Lancet, i, 623.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McNeilly, A. S. (1977) Physiology of human lactation. J. biosoc. Sci. Suppl. 4, 5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McNeilly, A. S. (1987) Prolactin and the control of gonadotrophin secretion. J. Endocr. 115, 1.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McNeilly, A. S., Glasier, A. & Howie, P. W. (1985) Endocrine control of lactational infertility. In:Maternal Nutrition and Lactational Infertility. Edited by Dobbing, J.. Nestlé Nutrition Workshop Series, Vol. 19. Nestlé Nutrition, Vevey/Raven Press, New York.Google Scholar
Neville, M. C. & Oliva-Rasbach, J. (1988) Is maternal milk production limiting for infant growth during the first year of life in breast-fed infants? In: Human Lactation HI: The Effects of Human Milk upon the Recipient Infant. Plenum, New York.Google Scholar
Orr-Ewing, A. K. & Heywood, P. F. (1982) Evaporative weight loss estimation in the field. Lancet, ii, 617.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Panter-Brick, C. (1991) Lactation, birth spacing and maternal work-loads among two castes in rural Nepal. J. biosoc. Sci. 23, 137.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Prentice, A. M., Roberts, S. B., Prentice, A., Paul, A. A., Watkinson, M., Watkinson, A. A. & Whitehead, R. G. (1983) Dietary supplementation of lactating Gambian women. I. Effect on breast-milk volume and quality. Hum. Nutr. clin. Nutr. 37C, 53.Google Scholar
Rattigan, S., Ghisalberti, A. V. & Hartman, P. E. (1981) Breast-milk production in Australian women. Br. J. Nutr. 45, 243.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stern, J. M., Konner, M., Herman, T. N. & Reichlin, S. (1986) Nursing behaviour, prolactin and postpartum amenorrhoea during prolonged lactation in American and !Kung mothers. Clin. Endocr. 25, 247.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tyson, J. E. & Perez, A. (1978) Maintenance of fecundity in post-partum women. In: Nutrition and Human Reproduction. Plenum, New York.Google Scholar
Vio, F. F., Infante, C. B., Lara, W. C., Mardones-Santander, F. & Rosso, P. R. (1986) Validation of the deuterium dilution technique for the measurement of fluid intake in infants. Hum. Nutr. clin. Nutr. 40C, 327.Google Scholar
Whitehead, R. G., Paul, A. A. & Rowland, M. G. M. (1980) Lactation in Cambridge and The Gambia. In: Topics in Paediatrics, 1. Nutrition in Childhood. Edited by Wharton, B. A.. Pitman Medical, Tunbridge Wells.Google Scholar