Effects of breastfeeding on maternal health and well-being

Abstract

Lactation occurs as part of a reproductive cycle and may have different effects on maternal nutritional status, depending on its duration and intensity. Thus, its effect on maternal health will differ with cultural setting and level of development. Lactation helps women to maintain a healthy body weight. Among well-nourished women, it may help to prevent obesity. Among poorly nourished women, breastfeeding also leads to weight loss, but with adequate birth spacing brought about by lactational anovulation, maternal depletion can be avoided. Lactation is probably not responsible for osteoporosis. Current evidence suggests that breastfeeding helps to prevent pre-menopausal breast cancer and is not associated with post-menopausal disease. Furthermore, breastfeeding may also help reduce ovarian cancer. Positive effects of breastfeeding occur at all levels of development and are most likely when biological, political, and sociocultitral conditions interact to support its initiation and continuation.