Pregnancy While Breastfeeding

Many women consider pregnancy while breastfeeding, although breastfeeding is a natural form of birth control. Can you get pregnant while breastfeeding? Definitely, yes, although it may be a little more difficult if you were not still breastfeeding. There is no hard and fast rule which can help you predict if you are fertile during pregnancy, so it may be a process that is more “hit and miss” than usual. Many women use the lactational amenorrhea method as a form of natural birth control if they’d rather not use another form such as an oral contraceptive or IUD. The term amenorrhea refers to the absence of a menstrual period, although one could conceivably get pregnant before menstruation returns.

Avoiding a pregnancy while breastfeeding is 98% to 99.5% effective if your baby is under six months old, you have not had a period since you gave birth and are exclusively breastfeeding. A woman’s periods return on average 14.