Conhecimento de puérperas acerca do método anticoncepcional da lactação com amenorreia.

Objective: Verify what new mothers know about lactational amenorrhea (LAM) as a method of contraception. Materials and Method: This is a transversal study conducted between February and May 2012 with 278 postpartum patients at a maternity unit in Fortaleza (Ceara, northeastern Brazil). Results: It was found that 131 (47.1%) of the women had heard about LAM, including 58 (44.3%) who stated they knew about it before pregnancy and 56 (42.7%) who learned of it during the prenatal stage; 94 (71.6%) do not believe it is effective and 100 (76.3%) were unaware of the criteria for using it safely. Forty-three (32.8%) of the postpartum women in the sample learned about LAM from, relatives or acquaintances; that is, informally, and 71 (54.1%) stated they had received no guidance on LAM from health professionals. Conclusions: Gaps in what mothers know have led to limited use and misuse of LAM. The study also brings to light the high percentage of postpartum patients who lack guidance from health professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]