1. Home
  2. Health
  3. Breastfeeding
photo of Melissa Kotlen Nagin

Breastfeeding Blog

By Melissa Kotlen Nagin, About.com Guide to Breastfeeding

Can I Be On Birth-Control Pills And Breastfeed At The Same Time?

Saturday April 26, 2008

This question comes up in every one of my prenatal breastfeeding classes. The simple answer is "yes", but there are some important factors to consider...

If you plan to use birth control pills while breastfeeding, your safest bet is to take a progestin-only pill (also called the "mini pill"). Regular birth-control pills, the Patch, and the Ring typically contain estrogen, which is best to avoid during lactation. When estrogen levels rise, milk supply can drop dramatically. On the progestin-only pill, you will not have those issues. The only minor glitch is that you have to take the mini-pill at the same time every day, so you must be wary of that. Otherwise, it's an excellent contraceptive option.

Comments

No comments yet. Leave a Comment

Leave a Comment

Line and paragraph breaks are automatic. Some HTML allowed: <a href="" title="">, <b>, <i>, <strike>

Explore Breastfeeding

More from About.com

  1. Home
  2. Health
  3. Breastfeeding

©2008 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.