Breastfeeding as a Contraceptive Method Among a Low Income Group of of Tehrani Women

Abstract

The study objective was to describe the breast feeding and contraceptive practices of women who attend 1 of the government neighborhood health centers in Tehran Iran specifically focusing on the extent to which breast feeding is relied upon as a contraceptive as well as an infant feeding method. The population studied was a random sample of married Tehrani women 40 years old or younger who had had at least 1 child and who sought medical care other than family planning services at a government health center. A sample of 100 was studied 95 of which were complete and suitable for analysis. 70% of the women sampled and 63% of their husbands had completed 6 years of education or less and 91% of the women were not employed outside the home. 61% of the husbands were employed in manual occupations. The group was overwhelmingly urban. The mean length of breast feeding among the sample was 10.5 months. 67% of breast feeding mothers relied exclusively on breast milk. Among the 33% who did begin supplementary bottles while the child was still on the breast the mean age of introduction was 4 months. Similarly there was a tendency to postpone introduction of semi-solid or solid foods; only 4% of mothers breast feeding for more than 4 months gave semi-solids before that age. Belief in lactation as a contraceptive method was not widespread. Only 41% believed that it acts as a contraceptive and only 12% expressed strong faith in its effectiveness. The knowledge and practice of technological and biological contraception was much greater among this client population that would normally be expected of the general population of a country like Iran. At the time of this study 45% of the sample was using technological birth control (oral contraceptive IUD condom or tubal ligation) while 26% were relying on less effective biological methods (coitus interruptus safe period).