American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 65, 1403-1409, Copyright © 1997 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc

ORIGINAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS

Effects of age at introduction of complementary foods to breast-fed infants on duration of lactational amenorrhea in Honduran women

KG Dewey, RJ Cohen, LL Rivera, J Canahuati and KH Brown
Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis 95616-8669, USA. kgdewey@ucdavis.edu

Lactational amenorrhea (LA) is associated with postpartum infertility and is known to be related to breast-feeding frequency and duration, but the exact role of complementary feeding of the infant has not been clearly defined. Data on LA were collected during and after a 2-mo intervention trial in which low-income Honduran women who had breast- fed fully for 4 mo were randomly assigned to one of three groups: continued full breast-feeding until 6 mo (FBF, n = 50), introduction of complementary foods at 4 mo with ad libitum breast-feeding from 4 to 6 mo (SF, n = 47), or introduction of complementary foods at 4 mo with maintenance of baseline breast-feeding frequency from 4 to 6 mo (SF-M, n = 44). Women were followed up until the infant was 12 mo of age, or later if menses had not occurred by then. All but six of the women continued to breast-feed for > or = 12 mo. With the exclusion of those whose menses returned before 18 wk postpartum (which could not have been due to the intervention), the proportion of women who were amenorrheic at 6 mo was 64.5% in the SF group, 80.0% in the FBF group, and 85.7% in the SF-M group (chi-square test = 4.13, P = 0.02; one- tailed test with the latter two groups combined). The total duration of LA did not differ significantly among groups. The most significant determinant of LA was time spent breast-feeding (min/d), which was in turn negatively associated (P = 0.06) with the infant's energy intake from complementary foods in regression analyses. These results indicate that there is a significant effect of introducing foods at 4 mo on the likelihood of amenorrhea at 6 mo postpartum, but not thereafter, and that this effect is not seen in mothers who maintain breast-feeding frequency.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M M. Islam, M. Khatun, J. M Peerson, T. Ahmed, M A. H Mollah, K. G Dewey, and K. H Brown Effects of energy density and feeding frequency of complementary foods on total daily energy intakes and consumption of breast milk by healthy breastfed Bangladeshi children Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, July 1, 2008; 88(1): 84 - 94. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Gonzalez-Cossio, J. Rivera-Dommarco, H. Moreno-Macias, E. Monterrubio, and J. Sepulveda Poor Compliance with Appropriate Feeding Practices in Children under 2 y in Mexico J. Nutr., November 1, 2006; 136(11): 2928 - 2933. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M M. Islam, J. M Peerson, T. Ahmed, K. G Dewey, and K. H Brown Effects of varied energy density of complementary foods on breast-milk intakes and total energy consumption by healthy, breastfed Bangladeshi children. Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, April 1, 2006; 83(4): 851 - 858. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. B Simondon, V. Delaunay, A. Diallo, E. Elguero, and F. Simondon Lactational amenorrhea is associated with child age at the time of introduction of complementary food: a prospective cohort study in rural Senegal, West Africa Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, July 1, 2003; 78(1): 154 - 161. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. W. Sellen Comparison of Infant Feeding Patterns Reported for Nonindustrial Populations with Current Recommendations J. Nutr., October 1, 2001; 131(10): 2707 - 2715. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. G. Dewey, R. J. Cohen, K. H. Brown, and L. L. Rivera Effects of Exclusive Breastfeeding for Four versus Six Months on Maternal Nutritional Status and Infant Motor Development: Results of Two Randomized Trials in Honduras J. Nutr., February 1, 2001; 131(2): 262 - 267. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				Y.-K. Peng, V. Hight-Laukaran, A. E. Peterson, and R. Pérez-Escamilla Maternal Nutritional Status Is Inversely Associated with Lactational Amenorrhea in Sub-Saharan Africa: Results from Demographic and Health Surveys II and III J. Nutr., October 1, 1998; 128(10): 1672 - 1680. [Abstract] [Full Text]