"Morning After" pill and breastfeeding

I am feeding our baby 3 times a day. My partner and I had unprotected sex last night and are not ready for another child. IF I use a morning after pill, how will that impact upon breastfeeding? my period returned about 2 months ago. I think I am at about day 14 of the cycle




 

Thanks for your question. Whenever a mom takes a birth control pill that contains estrogen -- such as the morning after pill -- it does have the possibility of decreasing the mothers milk supply.

Some mothers who take any type of estrogen containing pill (about 1 of 100 in my reading) seem to lose their milk. In your case with a single cycle of the morning after pill, you could possibly counteract the possible decrease in milk supply by increasing nursing or full expression by hand or with a quality breastpump for 3 to 5 days after the last dose.

In respect to the baby at this time -- single exposure through mothers milk of increased hormones does not seem to cause increased risks to the infant.

If it were me though -- I would not use this as a method of preventative birth control. They have not completed long term studies as of yet on the long term health effects on the mother taking the repeated doses of the morning after pill for a long period of time.

Anne F. Norton-Krawciw, RPh, IBCLC
Board Certified Lactation Consultant & Pharmacist
Breastfeeding Specialists Inc.
Sterling Heights Michigan





 

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