> but was wondering whether there were long term > effects in preventing / reducing urinary incontinance if you breastfeed for > a longer period, past the first weeks. A new study identifies several factors that increase the risk of urinary incontinence after pregnancy: * Smoking * Obesity * Extended breastfeeding * Vaginal delivery * Use of forceps From the abstract: "...postpartum incontinence was significantly associated with seven variables: ... length of breast-feeding (OR 1.169; P =.023), ..." Burgio KL, Zyczynski H, Locher JL, Richter HE, Redden DT, Wright KC. Urinary incontinence in the 12-month postpartum period. Obstet Gynecol. 2003 Dec;102(6):1291-8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=14662217&dopt=Abstract From Reuters Know Now: "Perhaps because of hormonal effects, the risk of incontinence increased as the length of breastfeeding rose. " Pelvic Exercises May Not Help Incontinence After a Birth Mon December 8, 2003 05:38 PM ET Reuters Know Now http://reuters.us.ed10.net/h/403CG/18JUM/7V/UCFP I have no comment on the study's validity; just passing it on. Barb *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html