The Lactation Resource Centre in Australia produced a paper in 1994 (as part of their
ongoing series "Topics in Breastfeeding") entitled Bone Loss in Lactation - Some REcent
Studies, by Jill Finch.
The conclusions of that reivew of the literature was that there was loss in bone mineral
density during lactation, of the order of 3-7%, but there is no proven long-term
reduction in BMD or increased risk of bone fracture in older women who have breastfed
(some studies suggest the contrary), and that there is some evidence of recovery of BMD
after weaning, but further studies are needed. These studies are underway in Australia,
and hopefully the recent lit search by the 'boned up' librarian will uncover more
detail.

Fiona Coombes MBBS IBCLC
Perth Western Australia