title: Acceptance of lactational amenorrhoea for family planning after postpartum counseling.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the impact of postpartum counseling on the acceptance of lactational amenorrhoea method (LAM) for family planning.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a prospective cross-sectional study 1490 postpartum women were included. Women who accepted or refused LAM for family planning were identified by means of a written survey. Twelve socio-demographic and clinical variables were included as predictors in a logistic regression analysis, the acceptance or refusal of LAM was the dependent variable; an Alpha level was set at 0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 807 (54.2%) women who accepted LAM as a contraceptive method; 683 (45.8%) refused it. Main reasons for accepting LAM were: conviction following counseling (54.4%) and use of LAM initially before switching to another contraceptive modality (18.3%). Main reasons for LAM refusal were: belief that the method was unsafe (62.2%) and fear of some undesirable effect on health (15.8%). In the logistic regression analysis the variables occupation outside the home (P = 0.01) and previous knowledge of LAM (P < 0.001) emerged as predictors of LAM acceptance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Postpartum counseling of LAM had a very positive impact on its acceptance. Although it is recommended that information about LAM be given antenatally, in some settings postpartum counseling could improve its acceptance rate.
authors.affiliation: UMAE, Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Mexican Institute of Social Security, University of Guanajuato, Leon, Mexico.
authors.forename: María Guadalupe
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: López-Martínez
authors.forename: Gustavo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Romero-Gutiérrez
authors.forename: Ana Lilia Ponce-Ponce
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: De León
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000568:Amenorrhea; D001942:Breast Feeding; D003267:Contraception; D003376:Counseling; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005193:Family Planning Services; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008800:Mexico; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires