A study of returning fertility after childbirth and during lactation by measurement of urinary oestrogen and pregnanediol excretion and cervical mucus production

Longitudinal studies involving weekly measurement of urinary oestrogen and pregnanediol excretion were performed in 55 post-partum women to identify the patterns of returning fertility. The women kept diaries of breast-feeding episodes, mucus symptoms and times of bleeding; some recorded basal body temperature and acts of intercourse. The study represented a total time of 36 years (7·8 months per woman). The majority of the women were breast-feeding throughout the study. During lactation amenorrhoea, there was complete ovarian quiescence in two-thirds of the subjects and minimal cyclic activity in the others. The first bleeds were associated with anovulatory ovarian activity in 40% of the women, with normal ovulation in 19%, with ovulation but short luteal phases in 25% and with ovulation but deficient luteal phases in 16%. The incidence of normal ovulatory cycles increased with time after delivery and with the number of cycles after delivery and eventually reached 85% even though many women were still breast-feeding at the time. Twenty-two pregnancies occurred, fourteen being unplanned: eight women were fully breast-feeding at the time of conception. Mucus symptoms correlated with the hormone values in approximately 60% of cycles. However, some women had symptoms which were difficult to interpret during their early cycles or potential fertility was not indicated by raised mucus scores or the presence of the peak mucus symptom. These problems together with the resulting confusion appeared to be the major causes for the unplanned pregnancies. Methods for coping with these problems are discussed.