I should know better than to read too much on how family size relates to
health, since too many of the statements assume that "excess" and
"unwanted" fertility are the same thing. However, this study did have
some interesting info., and I wonder if anyone can help me to understand
why LAM is having decreasing effects. Is it that the duration of
exclusive breastfeeding is decreasing?

> Prolonged breastfeeding and postpartum sexual abstinence, the
> traditional means of achieving longer intervals between pregnancies,
> are becoming less viable as urbanization and modernization increase,
> particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. For example, the period of
> protection against pregnancy provided by breastfeeding and postpartum
> abstinence in Nigeria and Ghana shrank by about four months between
> the late 1980s and the late 1990s. If modern contraceptive methods are
> not used to compensate for shorter durations of these practices,
> closely spaced births are likely to increase in these countries and
> elsewhere; death and ill health are likely to increase as well.


The study is here:
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/ib_3-02.html

             ***********************************************

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