Breastfeeding and the Pill Safe?

I would request the mini-pill. It is the only pill that my ob/gyn would offer. It only has the one hormone and states that it is safe for breastfeeding. I am suprised your doctor would prescribe that.

L.:

Most women who breastfeed exclusively enter a period of lactational amenorrhea makeing contraception unnecessary.

Contraceptives, expecially those contaning estrogen can seriously compromise a milk supply.

P., RLC, IBCLC
Pres. Lactation Support Group, Inc
www.lactationsupportgroup.com

Hi there! I was given the mini pill, or Micronor ( I think that is what it was called). It's a very low dose of hormone and if you take it even a little bit off schedule you can still get pregnant on it. I'm not sure about Loestrin24.

If your OB prescribed it and she knows you are nursing, I guess you can trust her, right? Did you try asking the pharmacist?

Nursing will cause you to stop to menstrating, especially if your are nursing and not supplementing with bottles. So you really don't need to worry about birth control at this point. Once you start to menstrate again, then you can worry about it.
T. Bialek D.C.

L.,

I agree with others. Breastfeeding mothers shouldn't be on the pill. My doctor told me I shouldn't take it because it can decrease my supply and also change the taste of my milk.

Hope this helps,
C.

There is a progestin only pill that is safe for use when breastfeeding. The brand name is Micronor and the generic is Jolivette. Once you stop breastfeeding, your doc can change you back to a "normal" pill.

Hey L., I'm a pharmacist and know it is not the best choice for you. Your doctor should give you a progesterone only pill called micronor or you can have the shot called depo-provera that lasts for 3 months and doesn't require you to take a daily pill. These are the safest choices for you. Did your doctor know you are breast feeding?
Congratulations on your new baby girl

Sorry for the late response....
I am a pharmacist too, and you should not be on an estrogen containing pill while pregnant. Like the others said the Micronor or generic equivilant is the only pill for breastfeeding women.
It worries me that your doctor prescribed it. They should know better! I would wonder what other bad advice have they given.
Good luck.

The important thing to check is that it is a "mini-pill". Or a single hormone pill. I went on the pill between pregnancies, but it was a single hormone pill that my doctor referred to as the "mini-pill". I would call and ask. The regular birth control pill from what I understand is not good while you are nursing. The mini-pill also gave me a lot of headaches, so my husband and I just used condoms between pregnancies. Good luck.

I would definitely double check with your pharmacist. I was on the mini-pill or pop pill during breast feeding both my girls. It was great with no side-effects to speak of.

I am on the mini-pill (Micronor) and am having no problems breastfeeding my 4 month old daughter. I do not know what Loestrin is, I would talk to your doctor.
You CAN get pregnant while breastfeeding! You ovulate before you menstruate, so relying on the return of your period as a sign to start birth control is potentially a bad idea.
A friend of mine was pregnant at her postpartum checkup ( 8 weeks after giving birth to her second baby), so it can happen. It's probably rare, and my friend loves new baby #3 dearly...but it was a huge strain on her physically so why take the chance?
Everything I have read says that the mini-pill and depo provera injections are fine for breastfeeding moms.

Any pill with estrogen can affect your milk supply. Usually you would be proscribed a progestin-only pill. I don't hink there's any data about hormone exposure to infants, but generally very little of medication will pass into breastmilk. The main concern is that it will reduce your supply. I would ask for a different method.

I was on the pill while breastfeeding. My ob/gyn prescribed Camilla, and said it was the ONLY pill that was safe to use while breastfeeding. I would call your dr. and re-confirm. I'm still breastfeeding my 7 mo. old, but stopped using the pill b/c I decided I didn't want to mess w/ my hormones anymore. We just use a condom now, which is only 86% effective, but I guess we're willing to take that 14% "risk."