Breastfeeding and contraception use among women with unplanned pregnancies less than 2 years after delivery

<bold>Objective: </bold>To examine breastfeeding and contraceptive use after the lactational amenorrhea method (LAM) criteria were no longer met.<bold>Methods: </bold>Two hundred and thirty-three parous Egyptian women with unplanned pregnancies less than 2 years after delivery completed a questionnaire examining breastfeeding practice and contraceptive use.<bold>Results: </bold>The majority of women (81.5%) with unplanned pregnancies within 2 years of delivery were breastfeeding at conception. Of these women, 36.3% had used a method of contraception other than LAM compared with 60.5% of women who had weaned (P<0.05). Among the breastfeeding women, 61.2% failed to use contraception because they believed breastfeeding would prevent pregnancy.<bold>Conclusion: </bold>Breastfeeding women with unplanned pregnancies were less likely to have used contraception than women who had weaned, suggesting that prolonged breastfeeding contributes to unmet contraceptive need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]