Lactational Amenorrhoea Method (LAM)
The Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM) is a temporary method of preventing pregnancy for women who have recently given birthHow the method works
- LAM is based on the natural effect of breastfeeding on temporarily stopping ovulation (fertility).
- Prolactin released during continuous breastfeeding suppresses ovulation which makes pregnancy unlikely.
Effectiveness
- LAM is up to 99% effective if practiced during the exclusive breastfeeding period.
- It’s important to note that LAM’s effectiveness depends on 3 conditions; the mother’s monthly bleeding has not come, the baby is fully and oftenly (day and night) breastfeeding, and the baby is less than 6 months old.
Advantages
- LAM provides effective protection against pregnancy as long as all the three LAM criteria are met.
- Return to fertility is immediate once you stop exclusive breastfeeding.
- LAM does not interfere with sexual activity and it has no known health risks or direct costs.
Limitations
- For LAM to work, all three of the following must be true: the woman’s menstrual periods have not resumed, the baby is exclusively breastfed, and the baby is less than six months old.
- It is important to note the effectiveness of LAM is reduced in the absence of exclusive breastfeeding.
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Popular questions
You will get a small injection on your arm to numb you. This means you won’t feel pain at all during insertion. There will be a little pain or soreness as the wound heals for about a week.
Yes. A woman who has not had children generally can use an IUD, but she should understand that the IUD is more likely to come out because her uterus may be smaller than the uterus of a woman who has given birth.
Yes. If needed, ECPs can be taken again, even in the same cycle. A woman who needs ECPs often may want to consider a longer-acting and more effective family planning method
Yes. A woman who has not had children generally can use an IUD, but she should understand that the IUD is more likely to come out because her uterus may be smaller than the uterus of a woman who has given birth.
No. Most research finds no major changes in bleeding patterns after female sterilization. If a woman was using a hormonal method or IUD before sterilization, her bleeding pattern will return to the way it was before she used these methods
