Misinformation on LAM

International Family Planning Perspectives, Mar 1999 by Kanter, A, Westley, S B

In the Philippines, misunderstanding of the lactational amenorrhea method (LAM) is common among both family planning providers and their postpartum clients. During visits to 86 family planning clinics across the country between November 1997 and February 1998, interviewers collected information from 338 providers and 3,452 recent mothers who had begun practicing contraception within six months of delivery.1 Although the lactational amenorrhea method can, by definition, be used for a maximum of only six months after delivery, 9% of the providers said they had advised their clients to wait 4-6 months before starting to use it. In addition, 31% believed that the method is appropriate for HIV-infected women. Misinformation was even more common among women using the method. Some 29% believed that it would prevent pregnancy even if they were not fully breastfeeding, 48% thought it would still be effective after they resumed menstruation and 59% believed they could use it effectively for more than six months after childbirth. The investigators conclude many family planning clients "lack the necessary knowledge to use this method successfully, suggesting that there is considerable potential for unwanted pregnancies."

1. Kanter A and Westley SB, Family planning for new mothers in the Philippines, Asia-Pacific Population & Policy, 1998, No. 47.