Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Stages

Can you get pregnant while you’re exclusively breastfeeding? Be very careful

Kelli Catana
By

Birth control isn’t always the very first thing a new mom thinks about, especially as her body is recovering from labor and her focus is on obsessing over her new bundle of joy. Many women find themselves wondering if they can get pregnant while exclusively breastfeeding, or if they need to be practicing another form of birth control just in case.

There tends to be a lot of conflicting information regarding the effectiveness of exclusively breastfeeding when it comes to birth control, so many women err on the safe side and use alternate means of contraception, which may be the best way to ensure they aren’t getting pregnant again before they’re ready. So, can you get pregnant while breastfeeding? Although exclusively breastfeeding can prevent pregnancy, you should definitely be careful and know the facts.

Related Videos
pregnant-while-breastfeeding1

Can you get pregnant while breastfeeding even with no period?

Although exclusively breastfeeding is a pretty effective form of birth control, it is possible that you could still become pregnant during that time. According to Healthline, using breastfeeding as a form of birth control is called the lactational amenorrhea method, or LAM. The Alberta Department of Health notes that this method is 98% effective in preventing pregnancy (basically the same as using the birth control pill) as long as certain criteria are followed. The mother must be exclusively, or almost exclusively breastfeeding, the woman should have no period whatsoever (not even spotting), and this method is only effective up until the baby is six months old. If all three of these criteria are not met there is an increased chance of getting pregnant if you’re not practicing any other form of birth control.

Breastfeeding exclusively helps prevent the body from ovulating, but that doesn’t mean it works 100% of the time. And since you can ovulate before you get your first post-pregnancy period, there is a chance that you could begin to ovulate without realizing it, increasing your chances of conceiving.

How soon after giving birth can you get pregnant while breastfeeding?

Your body can technically get pregnant after childbirth as soon as you begin to ovulate. While every woman is different, ovulation tends to begin between 45 and 94 days after giving birth, according to Medical News Today. And that means that if you’re not practicing any form of birth control, including LAM, you could become pregnant. NHS writes that a postpartum woman can technically get pregnant as soon as three weeks after delivery. Although that’s unlikely if you’re practicing LAM, there is still a chance of pregnancy if you’re non-exclusively breastfeeding even if you didn’t realize that you had begun to ovulate.

pregnant-while-breastfeeding2

When is LAM not as effective?

For LAM to truly be effective as a method of birth control, the mother must exclusively breastfeed her baby every 4 to 6 hours, as the frequent suckling prevents the mother from ovulating by reducing the hormones that cause ovulation. Supplementing with formula or even water can reduce the effectiveness of this method, as can using a soother. The method is only recommended until the baby turns 6 months old because at that time, solids are typically introduced, which can contribute to a woman’s body beginning to ovulate. The woman must have no period during this time, including spotting. If the period returns, LAM is no longer as effective as it was before.

Birth control options if you’re breastfeeding

In addition to LAM, there are many other safe birth control options for a woman who is still breastfeeding. Women have the option of using the Depo-Provera shot, a contraceptive implant, an IUD (although your doctor may wish for you to wait a certain amount of time post-partum before insertion), and condoms. The mini-pill, which is a birth control pill that contains only the hormone progestin is also an option. Traditional birth control pills contain both estrogen and progestin, but many feel that estrogen can have a negative impact on a woman’s milk supply so if you’re breastfeeding the mini-pill is a better option. Again, as with other birth control pills, these do take a few weeks before becoming effective so it’s important to speak to your doctor about which method of birth control is right for you.

So, while exclusively breastfeeding does act as a very effective method of birth control if practiced correctly, there is a slim margin of possibility that you can still get pregnant, especially as your baby gets a bit older. If you are looking to prevent pregnancy it’s always best to speak to your doctor about what contraceptive method is right for you before you leave the hospital or even before your baby is due. Although it is recommended that new mothers abstain until six weeks post-partum, that doesn’t always happen so it’s best to ensure you are fully protected to avoid any surprises!

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
What is normal teen sexual behavior? We’ve got answers to help you understand your teenager
Read this to find out if your teen's sexual behavior is "normal"
Two teenagers on a date outside

What can parents actually expect when their kids turn into teens and start exploring their sexuality? It can be an uncomfortable subject, but being educated about typical sexual development and what your teen may be hearing from their peers is important to make sure you can talk openly with your child about protection, consent, risk reduction, and other issues.
Teens will be talking about sex and exploring this new part of their lives eventually and it's perfectly natural. Having your head in the sand won't make it go away, so the information below will prepare you with information to tackle this new stage of parenting.

Puberty
The onset of puberty is what can start the beginning of this stage of life for teens, but it doesn't mean they're ready for sex; just that they may start experiencing sexual thoughts like crushes or urges like feeling aroused. On average, puberty begins between ages 8 and 14.

Read more
Going through the IVF process? Here’s what to expect
Ready for the IVF process? The steps and expectations from start to finish
A woman undergoing an ultrasound

Because of modern science, the birds and the bees aren’t precisely what they used to be. The rise of assisted reproductive technology (ART) has given parents ways of conceiving besides intercourse.

More than 8 million babies have been born via in vitro fertilization (IVF) since its inception in 1978 and 2018. In 2019, more than 83,000 babies were born via ART, according to CDC data. It’s unclear how many of those were from the IVF process, but the CDC notes it’s the most common form of ART.

Read more
5 things you should never say to a pregnant woman
She's already cranky, puffed, and exhausted. Please don't make it worse with these common questions for pregnant women
Pregnant married woman standing in a floral gown

These lists are sometimes hard to compile because of the beautiful complexity and differences between women. What may be offensive to one may be exactly what another needs to hear. Women, particularly pregnant women, are multidimensional, deeply thinking, individualistic human beings, and there is no "one-size-fits-all" list that applies to everyone.
However, there does seem to be an invisible boundary of privacy that drops when a woman is expecting a child. In a time when she is very likely uncertain, nervous, and potentially bombarded with any number of questions, swimming in a pool of nerves, people think this is the time to invade her space.
Most of these are well-intentioned questions, habitual, even. Rightfully so, people are excited and happy at the sight of a pregnant woman, and sometimes in that joy, manners can slip. It's important to keep in mind that many women -- particularly the more introverted ones -- are uncomfortable with all the new attention they're probably receiving. For the women who don't relish having these conversations with their family members, friends, hairstylists, and strangers in the produce section, these questions can be very awkward. Keep reading to find out the things you should never say to a pregnant woman.

'Are you going to breastfeed?'
This one is usually said with an air of haughtiness that also says, "It is the best choice, you know. Any mother who doesn’t breastfeed is just the absolute worst and shouldn’t be allowed to have children if only because of her shocking selfishness."
Ladies (and gentlemen), think about this one for a moment. While, as mentioned above, your intentions are undoubtedly lovely and kind, you may very well be deeply offending the already uncomfortable pregnant woman you’re talking to. Take into consideration that there are many reasons her answer to this question may be (gasp) "No."
Perhaps she has a medical issue that prevents her from breastfeeding. Perhaps she has a deeply rooted psychological reason she’s chosen not to. Perhaps she just feels icky about the whole thing, and despite her best efforts, just can’t move past it. Whatever the reason, she already knows breastfeeding is the healthiest and “best” option without you telling her so.
She doesn’t need to know that it’s what you did and that your babies were just healthy little horses. She doesn’t need to hear that feeding her precious, unborn baby formula is the equivalent of feeding it Tang instead of freshly squeezed orange juice. She’s thought about her choice more than you have; whatever that choice is, it's really none of your business.

Read more