A Bridge for postpartum women to Standard Days Method®: I. Developing the Bridge

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Health
• Family Planning
• Fertility Awareness-Based Methods

Background:

• A novel fertility-awareness-based method, the Bridge, has been developed for postpartum women.
• This method is designed for use from the first postpartum menses until eligibility for the Standard Days Method.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development of the Bridge method.
• To assess the theoretical efficacy of the Bridge method for postpartum family planning.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of a preexisting dataset from 1986-1990.
• Inclusion of 73 breastfeeding women from Australia, Britain, and Canada.
• Follow-up from 42 days postpartum until at least two potentially fertile cycles were observed.

Main Results:

• The Bridge method is theoretically effective for postpartum women.
• Efficacy is maintained until the reestablishment of cycle regularity.
• The method serves as a bridge to the Standard Days Method.

Conclusions:

• The Bridge method shows potential effectiveness for postpartum family planning.
• It provides a viable option until women can utilize the Standard Days Method.
• Companion article details efficacy study results.