I am posting this with permission.

A mother in her mid 40s is trying to conceive again whilst continuing
to breastfeed her three year old son. She is aware that her eggs may
be past their prime and that her general lifestyle has led
(unavoidably) to high stress levels.  She has been charting and trying
to conceive for over 18 months.  Several implantations have failed, as
evidenced by a longer than 16 day luteal phase, as well as
implantation bleeding.  No luteal phase has been shorter than 12 days.
 The mother understands that this means that breastfeeding is unlikely
to be a contributing factor to lack of implantation/pregnancy.

A recent visit to the doctor resulted only in comments like, "Who are
you breastfeeding for, you or the baby?" and that she was unlikelt to
get pregnant without weaning completely, because "Breastfeeding is
working against the pregnancy."

This mother is not convinced that those statements are true. She also
mentioned that when she voiced her own understanding that a 20 day
luteal phase pointed to a fertilization, and that a 12 day luteal
phase wasnt' "too short" in a breastfeeding sense, the doctor replied
that she  was "too analytical" for her own good.

She is now second-guessing her own understanding of the situation.
She does not wish to wean. She feels strongly that allowing her child
to wean at his own pace is a tremendous gift.  On the other hand, if
she knew with certainty that weaning would allow her to conceive and
carry a baby to term, then she would do so in order to supply her
child with a sibling.

However, she is concerned that weaning seems very high risk when the
odds are slim and no one can tell her that the breastfeeding
definitely prevents pregnancy. Even the doctor admitted that in all
likelyhood, forcing a weaning was a lose/lose scenario.

While she is aware that there may not be a definitive answer,  this
mother is seeking a deeper understanding of the relationship between
her breastfeeding and becoming pregnant.  Her question is, does a
significant number of 12 day luteal phases indicate that breastfeeding
is contributing to the failing of implantations, or is it far more
likely that it's the age issue?

TIA,
norma, in upstate New York


Norma Ritter, IBCLC, RLC
Breastfeeding Matters in the Capital Region
www.NormaRitter.com

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