Suckling patterns and post-partum amenorrhoea in Bangladesh.

The association between breastfeeding patterns and resumption of menses postpartum was examined in a longitudinal study initiated in March 1976 in Bangladesh. Information on suckling patterns and menstrual status was collected on 148 breastfeeding women who were still amenorrheic at 17-25 months postpartum at the beginning of the study. Suckling was measured during an 8-hour period once a month for up to 19 months of follow-up. A high frequency of suckling was found even at this late postpartum duration. Total suckling time and the number of suckling episodes declined with the age of the child but the mean duration of each episode did not change. The fact that regression analyses did not show a correlation between suckling patterns and return of menses postpartum may be related to the large individual variations in suckling patterns and in the duration of amenorrhea in this population and the need to study suckling patterns for longer than 8 hours/day. (authors)