nancy said:  I've known two women who tried to conceive while nursing
toddlers.
Menstruation had resumed several months prior.  Docs (in both cases)
who were
breastfeeding friendly said that it was a problem with Luteinizing
Hormone.
Both women became pregnant promptly after weaning.
**********************************

Yup- could be a short luteal phase situation.  OTOH, weaining isn't
alwasy necessary, and if hte mother isn't ready to wean, as many
aren't, there are options.  One is to increase nighttime lighting.
Susun Weed suggests doing so at mid cycle so the night time peak of
estrogen isn't suppressed.  For some women, I've heard reported that
they just increase the lighting throughout the cycle.  Another option
for women with very low body fat is to increase fat intake.  Not only
does fat store estrogen, but fat cells produce estrogen.

THirdly, if it is short luteal phase, and the woman has "irregular
periods" she may be conceiving and producing insufficient progesterone
from the placenta at the time the corpus luteum dies.  THerefore, she
has been conceiving and losing the pregnancy early.  Progesterone, of
course, can be taken for that.  I don't know if she can try herbal
methods, but I suspect there may be some out there.

Just some thoughts on weaning.  Sometimes if a woman has worked hard
to have her first baby and to nurse the baby, she is hesitant to wean
to "take a chance" on getting pregnant subsequently.

Did  you guess I like the idea of child-led weaning even though my 20
mo old is bruising my nipples due to pulling, playing and finger
sucking?  :-)


==

Kate Hallberg, mom to Ursula (wow! 4) and Sage (1.5)
http://www.cs.colorado.edu/~kolina
"It is the job of the physician to find health, anyone can find disease"
- A.T.Still, "Philosophy of Osteopathy",1886
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ridge/8193/

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