title: Breastfeeding and contraception use among women with unplanned pregnancies less than 2 years after delivery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine breastfeeding and contraceptive use after the lactational amenorrhea method (LAM) criteria were no longer met.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and thirty-three parous Egyptian women with unplanned pregnancies less than 2 years after delivery completed a questionnaire examining breastfeeding practice and contraceptive use.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority of women (81.5%) with unplanned pregnancies within 2 years of delivery were breastfeeding at conception. Of these women, 36.3% had used a method of contraception other than LAM compared with 60.5% of women who had weaned (P<0.05). Among the breastfeeding women, 61.2% failed to use contraception because they believed breastfeeding would prevent pregnancy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Breastfeeding women with unplanned pregnancies were less likely to have used contraception than women who had weaned, suggesting that prolonged breastfeeding contributes to unmet contraceptive need.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA. itilley@usc.edu
authors.forename: Ian B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Tilley
authors.forename: Omar M
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Shaaban
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Glasier
authors.forename: Daniel R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Mishell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003267:Contraception / Q000379:methods; D003268:Contraception Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004534:Egypt; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D049168:Pregnancy, Unplanned; D012424:Rural Population; D014886:Weaning; D055815:Young Adult