My name is Travis; currently I’m a junior nursing student at the University of North Dakota. After browsing through the archives, I found the issue of contraceptives and breastfeeding being discussed off and on through the past decade. This topic interests me because it is a controversial issue that is being practiced differently in many healthcare settings. In conclusion to reviewing literature, I have found the following information: According to Espey, Lee, Leeman, Ogburn, Qualls & Reddy (2006), oral contraceptives during breastfeeding diminish the quantity of breast milk and decreases the duration of lactation that may adversely affect the growth of the infant. In addition, Queenan supports the issue stating in his article; if possible, the nursing mother should be advised not to use oral contraceptives, but to use other forms of contraception until she has completely weaned her child (Queenan, 2004). The two articles basically say oral contraceptives and breastfeeding would affect the growth of your child due to a decrease in quality as well as quantity in the breast milk. On the other hand, according to Bang, Guthmann, & Nashelsky (2005), oral contraceptives may reduce the volume of breast milk, but not affect the growth of infants. Furthermore, the literature doesn’t bring conclusive answers to our practice, so what is being practiced in your healthcare setting and what advice are they giving. Any thoughts or knowledge you would like to share with me would be appreciated. Bang, J., Guthmann, R., & Nashelsky, J. (2005). Combined Oral Contraceptives for Mothers Who Are Breastfeeding. American Family Physician, 72, Retrieved January 29, 2007, from American academy of Family Physicians. Espey, E., Lee, C., Leeman, L., Ogburn, T., Qualls, C., & Reddy, S., (2006). Conformity with Current Guidelines on Oral Contraception Prescribing for Breastfeeding Women. Elsevier, 74, 389-393. Retrieved January 29, 2007, from Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Queenan, J. T. (2004). Contraception and Breastfeeding. Clinical Obstetrics, 47, 734-739. Retrieved January 29, 2007, from Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc. *********************************************** 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 email list is powered by LISTSERV (R). There is only one LISTSERV. To learn more, visit: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html