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Review
. 2024 Jun 4;14(3):1054-1064.
doi: 10.3390/clinpract14030083.

Safety of Progestogen Hormonal Contraceptive Methods during Lactation: An Overview

Karolina Chmaj-Wierzchowska  1 , Katarzyna Wszołek  1 , Katarzyna Tomczyk  1 , Maciej Wilczak  1
Affiliations
Review

Safety of Progestogen Hormonal Contraceptive Methods during Lactation: An Overview

Karolina Chmaj-Wierzchowska et al. Clin Pract. .

Abstract

Background: Breastfeeding is a process for not only nourishing infants but also for building a unique emotional bond between mother and child. Therefore, the ideal contraception during lactation should not affect lactation (milk composition, milk volume) and offspring development.

Objectives: This study aims to analyze the literature on the safety of progestogen hormonal contraceptive methods during lactation.

Methods: We conducted a thorough search across various databases, including the National Library of Medicine (PubMed), and the Cochrane Database, Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed). Our search utilized specific phrases such as: "lactation" and "breastfeeding" and "oral contraception" with "drospirenone" or "desogestrel", with "subcutaneous etonogestrel implant" or "etonogestrel implant", with "levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system", and "emergency contraception", with "levonorgestrel" or "ulipristal acetate".

Conclusions: Based on published scientific reports, progestogen hormonal contraceptives can be considered a relatively safe solution for women desiring to continue feeding their infant with their milk while using hormonal contraception. It is important to seek guidance on selecting the best contraception method based on the latest medical knowledge, tailored to the individual needs and clinical circumstances of each woman and place of residence. A woman should always be informed of the potential risks of such a treatment and then allowed to make her own decision based on the knowledge received from a specialist.

Keywords: breastfeeding; contraception; lactation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author K.C.-W. cooperated with EXELTIS on the sponsored manuscript: Begier-Krasińska, B.; Krasiński, Z.; Rzymski, P.; Sajdak, S.; Chmaj-Wierzchowska, K.; Zawiejska, A. Opinia na temat bezpieczeństwa, skuteczności i wskazań do stosowania jenoskładnikowej antykoncepcji w postaci 4 mg drospirenonu. Ginekologia po Dyplomie. Styczeń 2024 [in Polish] and declare no relevant conflicts of interest. EXELTIS does not participate in the design, execution, interpretation or writing of the study. The remaining authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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