title: Investigation on breastfeeding and lactational amenorrhoeic women in mountainous areas of Pengxian County, Southwest China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the distributions of the duration of postpartum breastfeeding, amenorrhoea, and contraceptive use, a community-based epidemiological investigation was carried out in Pengxian County, Southwest China in March 1992.
  
  
  METHODS
  1,040 women who had given live births during the reference period were interviewed. A current-status life table analysis was used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At 1 month postpartum, 100% infants were breastfed, at 6 months 95%, and at 12 months 82%. The level of amenorrhoea at 1 month postpartum was 90%, at 3 months 74%, at 6 months 62%, and at 12 months 36%. Contraceptive use was initiated at the second month postpartum with 19% of users, at 6 months 48%, and at 12 months 91%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicate that at population level advising women to begin using contraceptives in 3 months postpartum is fairly reasonable, and the non-medicated IUD is recommended to be the first choice for the lactating women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Family Planning Research Institute of Sichuan, P.R. China.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000568:Amenorrhea / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003273:Contraceptive Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy; D013997:Time Factors