In response to Karen Christopher's question, there does seem to be some
variability, but when babies are exclusively breastfed (no water,
pacifiers, no long periods, even nights, without breastfeeding) for several
months, and breastfeeding continues unabated, though completed, afterwards,
then lactation amenorrhea often lasts longer than one year. My wife
exclusively breast fed for six months and added solids slowly thereafter
(not replacing, but complementing breastfeeding) and was amenorrheic for 15
months for one birth and 19 months for the other. In Bangladesh the average
is 18 months and it is estimated that only about 2 months of that is due to
maternal malnutrition. I recall reading a study of US LLL moms who breast
fed intensively and the average for them was 15 months.

Ted Greiner, PhD
Senior Lecturer in International Nutrition
Unit for International Child Health, Entrance 11
Uppsala University
751 85 Uppsala
Sweden

phone +46 - 18 515198
fax   +46 - 18 515380

home phone +46 - 8 191397 (can be used as fax also)