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Efficacy Of A New Postpartum Transition Protocol For Avoiding Pregnancy, Thomas Bouchard, Richard Fehring, Mary Schneider

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Introduction: The postpartum period is a challenging time for family planning, especially for women who breastfeed. Breastfeeding delays the return of menses (lactational amenorrhea), but ovulation often occurs before first menses. For this reason, a protocol was developed to assist women in identifying their return of fertility postpartum to avoid pregnancy.

Methods: In this prospective, 12-month, longitudinal cohort study, 198 postpartum women aged 20 to 45 years (mean age, 30.2 years) were taught a protocol for avoiding pregnancy with either online or in-person instruction. A hand-held fertility monitor was used to identify the fertile period by testing for urinary changes …