Contraception, and the conversation that gets skipped
Fertility returns before you expect it.
Ovulation can return before your first period, and before six weeks in women who are not exclusively breastfeeding. The six-week visit is often the first time contraception is mentioned, which for some women is late.
Most methods are compatible with breastfeeding. Long-acting methods can be placed immediately after birth if you want that, and it is worth deciding in advance because the opportunity is easy to miss.
Worth raising in pregnancy, not after"What are my contraception options, and which of them can be started before I leave the hospital?" Spacing between pregnancies matters, and the decision is easier made rested than at a six-week appointment with a newborn.
Where this comes from:
258. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' Committee on Obstetric Practice. Optimizing postpartum care. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 736. Obstet Gynecol. 2018;131(5):e140-e150.
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This page is educational. It supports the conversation with your own clinicians. It is not consent to any treatment, and it cannot assess you. If you are worried about a symptom now, see urgent warning signs.