Nutrition and Post-Partum Amenorrhoea in Rural Bangladesh.

A cross-sectional survey of 2048 breastfeeding women in rural Bangladesh was conducted in 1975 to explore factors affecting the duration of post-partum amenorrhoea. Information on menstrual status, infant supplementation, socio-economic status and anthropometric measurements was collected for lactating women with infants 13-21 months of age. The median length of amenorrhoea was observed to be over 18 months. There was a higher probability of being amenorrhoeic for older women and those of lower socio-economic status. Maternal malnutrition extended the duration of amenorrhoea slightly. Women feeding their infants higher-quality supplements were less likely to be amenorrhoeic than those supplying their infants with less adequate supplements. The figures suggest that the pattern of breastfeeding plays the primary role in determining lengths of lactational amenorrhoea for this rural population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]