Suckling patterns and post-partum amenorrhoea in Bangladesh

Abstract

SummaryThe association between breast-feeding patterns and resumption of menses post-partum was examined in a longitudinal study initiated in March 1976 in Bangladesh. Information on suckling patterns and menstrual status was collected on 148 breast-feeding women who were still amenorrhoeic at 17–25 months post-partum at the beginning of the study. Suckling was measured during an 8-hr period once a month for up to 19 months of follow-up.A high frequency of suckling was found, even at this late post-partum duration. Total suckling time and the number of suckling episodes declined with the age of the child but the mean duration of each episode did not change. The fact that regression analyses did not show a correlation between suckling patterns and return of menses post-partum may be related to the large individual variations in suckling patterns and in the duration of amenorrhoea in this population, and the need to study suckling patterns for longer than 8 hr per day.