How effective is the Lactational Amenorrhoeic Method (LAM) of natural family planning?
The LAM is 98 percent effective in preventing pregnancy in the first six months after delivery provided that (1) the woman has not experienced her first postpartum menstrual bleed, (2) the woman is fully breastfeeding with feeds not more than four hours apart, and (3) the infant’s diet is not supplemented. As the pregnancy rate increases in women whose infants are receiving supplementary food, despite continued lactational amenorrhoea, a supplementary contraceptive method should be used to avoid conception in this circumstance.
