I think that it should be understood that when it is said that the
nursing mother will get back her menses about 13-14 months after the
birth of the baby, this is an *average*. Some do get it back at 3 or
4 months even though the baby is feeding frequently and not getting
supplements and not using a pacifier. Some get it back only 30 months
later. Well nourished mothers are likely to get their periods back
earlier, whereas poorly nourished mothers later, but this is only a
general rule too. Much of the work on this is based on developing
countries where women are more likely to nurse for a *normal* period
of time (3-5 years).
Jack Newman, MD, FRCPC