How Soon Can You Start Birth Control Pills After Giving Birth?

Doctors prescribe low-dose birth control pills for nursing mothers.

When selecting a birth control option, post-pregnant women have additional factors to consider, especially if they are breast-feeding. As the most popular form of reversible birth control, the pill is an obvious choice.

Sex After Pregnancy

Doctors at the Mayo Clinic advise women to listen to their bodies when it comes to how soon to have sex after delivery. It's important to let the body heal and adjust to the changes of having a newborn.

Misconceptions

It's a common misconception that if a woman is breast-feeding she cannot become pregnant. Lactational amenorrhea is an effective natural contraceptive, but it requires a strict feeding schedule of nursing every three to five hours.

Expert Insight

According to midwife and women's health care consultant Pat Sonnenstuhl, ARNP, CNM, MS, "Regular birth control pills can be started at two weeks postpartum. Low dose progestin can be started sooner."

Types

Women are advised not to take regular birth control pills (containing both estrogen and progestin) if they are breast-feeding. Doing so may reduce the mineral content and the supply of breast milk. Doctors prescribe a mini-pill, a progestin-only formulation that doesn't affect nursing.

Warnings

The only 100 percent effective birth control is abstinence. Using multiple methods is the best way to prevent pregnancy.

References

• WebMD Your Next Pregnancy
• Mayo Clinic guidelines on sex after delivery
• Planned Parenthood Health Topics