After Pregnancy

Family Planning

Once your pregnancy is over, you and your partner will have to think about birth control methods. As soon as you start having sex, it is possible to get pregnant. For information about the advantages and disadvantages of different birth control methods, click here.

Which methods of birth control are NOT reliable and NOT recommended?

• withdrawing the penis before ejaculation (73–96% effective)
• douching or rinsing the vagina with a water‑based or spermicide‑containing solution after intercourse

Is breastfeeding an effective birth control method?

Although there are no absolute guarantees, breastfeeding may be effective birth control if all the following apply to you:

• your baby is under six months old, and
• your baby is exclusively breastfed during the day (at least every four hours) and at night (at least every 6 hours) , and
• your baby is not given a bottle, infant cereal, or soother, and
• you have not started your period

As soon as your baby is sleeping longer at night or having other foods or fluids, breastfeeding is less likely to work as a birth control method.