Low Dose Birth Control is ‘Effective’ but is it Ok For New Mums?
You’ve held that warm little body in your arms for the first time and know all about GIVING birth but before you face the issues that come with rearing your darling bundle of joy, fairly soon you’ll have to face the issue of how to CONTROL the timing of the next (?) birth. So do you just go back to the birth control method you were using before, assuming this was effective and the gorgeous darling was ‘planned’(!) or do you need to change to a different method now?
‘Low dose’ is a term used in birth control terminology to refer to the amount of ESTROGEN present in a contraceptive. To ‘qualify’ as low dose, there has to be only 0.035mg or less of estrogen present. You may be thinking at this point that it would be OK for you to use a low dose pill as it sounds reasonably safe BUT If you have decided to breastfeed, you should avoid using ANY birth control method that contains estrogen- namely, a combined contraceptive pill, a hormonal patch (which you know I do not recommend to anyone as a method of birth control anyway) and the Ring. Estrogen can affect your milk supply and also pass through to your baby. All is not lost though - This article does a good job of answering all those other questions you may have around birth control and pregnancy including:
- I’ve always been on the Pill, but now I’m breastfeeding. That means I can’t go back on it, right?
- I’m not sure whether I’m done having babies, so what’s long-term but not permanent?
- I’ve heard there’s a type of sterilization for women that isn’t surgical. Does it work? Is it permanent?
- I’d like to use “fertility awareness” as my birth-control method. How can I be sure I’m doing it right?
NB. Oral contraceptives may decrease the amount of folate in your body. Folate is important for the development of a healthy baby, so you should talk to your doctor if you want to become pregnant soon after you stop taking oral contraceptives.
I am researching birth control methods for women over 35 at present so come back later if that means you, for an update on the latest options.
