Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: notesfiles Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!decvax!ucbvax!ucbcad!tektronix!hplabs!hp-pcd!hpfcla!ajs From: ajs@hpfcla.UUCP Newsgroups: net.kids Subject: Nursing as a contraceptive Message-ID: <32700004@hpfcla.UUCP> Date: Mon, 19-Mar-84 23:32:00 EST Article-I.D.: hpfcla.32700004 Posted: Mon Mar 19 23:32:00 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 22-Mar-84 02:29:22 EST Organization: Hewlett-Packard Fort Collins Systems Division - Fort Collins, CO Lines: 13 Nf-ID: #N:hpfcla:32700004:000:689 Nf-From: hpfcla!ajs Mar 19 20:32:00 1984 There's a good article in the current (April) issue of Scientific American, on the contraceptive effects of nursing. The main point seems to be that unsupplemented nursing is a very reliable form of birth control, equal to any existing method (but of course, much safer). The article claims that nursing has a bad reputation as a contraceptive because, as the child is started on supplemental foods, the amount of suckling stimulus decreases, so the mother's hormone levels change, and at some (hard to predict) time, ovulation returns. It stresses that straight demand nursing, including night feedings, is very certain to prevent ovulation. Alan Silverstein