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At what 'infant-age' can levonorgestrel contraceptives be recommended to nursing mothers?
S B Patel1, V S Toddywalla, S S Betrabet
1Institute for Research in Reproduction (Indian Council of Medical Research), Parel, Bombay.
Objective:
Levonorgestrel (LNG), a low-dose progestin, does not affect lactation but like all drugs taken by breastfeeding mothers, it can be transferred to the infant via breast milk. How infants of various ages cope with this unwanted maternal drug would help in deciding when to recommend this method of contraception to breastfeeding mothers.
Methods:
The study was conducted in 30 exclusively breastfeeding mothers and their 4-, 12- and 24-week-old infants. The mothers daily received 30 micrograms LNG over a five-week period, thus exposing their infants to maternal LNG for that period.
Results:
Four-week-old infants could neither absorb nor metabolize LNG efficiently. Twelve-week-old infants could metabolize LNG more efficiently than absorb. Twenty-four-week-old infants could do both efficiently.
Conclusion:
It is safe to introduce LNG to breastfeeding mothers at 12 weeks postpartum.