AIBU - fertility clinic have told me to stop breastfeeding my first child

[moreworkandhope]

is this right? they say I have to stop bf 4-6 months before I start treatment for my second child.

I've already experienced, numerous times from numerous health professionals, how shockingly behind the times and COMPLETELY INCORRECT they can be, is this another example?

I'm running out of fertility fast but don't want to stop bf my first child, it would make my life loads more stressful to deny her what she wants and give up the only proper relaxation time I have.

Regarding the drugs, you need to contact Wendy Jones - she's a pharmacist who specialises in medications suitable when breastfeeding:

www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk

They are the ones who specialise in breastfeeding, not infertility doctors.

The amount of misinformation on this thread is shocking - comparing breastfeeding to taking the contraceptive pill? WTAF? Seriously - what a ridiculous comment to make.

They are the ones who specialise in breastfeeding, not infertility doctors

She doesn't need an expert in breastfeeding to get pregnant, she needs an expert in fertility. Which is why she should listen to them, and not the breastfeeding experts.

Who would also tell her the same thing, by the way.

breastfeeding reduces fertility

That is fact, not misinformation

coconutpie- I have no idea why Jack Newman would be of any help. He is not a fertility expert.

Where's the 'shocking misinformation' coconut? Obviously bf isn't a reliable contraceptive - there are plenty of babies to prove that. And no one said it was the same as taking the pill

They do often want you to be on the contraceptive pill during IVF

It involves controlling every aspect of your cycle

Anything that affects your hormones will affect your response to the drugs

As PP have said, prolactin affects your hypothalamic pituitary axis

Given you're taking a combination of drugs to control the HPA, breastfeeding could make your response very unpredictable

Cabergoline is often given to IVF patients to lower elevated prolactin levels to optimise the response

Breastfeeding and driving up prolactin levels is doing the exact opposite

Op your clinic are right. You need to decide what you want to do more just now - keep breastfeeding or try IVF. Or of course you can keep breastfeeding and abandon contraception and see what happens. I am assuming you required IVF previously but if there is an egg lurking somewhere and one sperm with something approaching a sense of direction then there is a chance, however small, you could fall pregnant without treatment.

Is this just one of those threads where you feign horror at someone questioning your right to breastfeed for as long as you want to, so you can get everyone all foamy?

Like the BF at the side of the swimming pool stories or whatever it was.

If it's genuine, I would have thought it was pretty obvious that you wouldn't do something that is known to negatively impact fertility, when you're having fertility treatment

The amount of misinformation on this thread is shocking - comparing breastfeeding to taking the contraceptive pill? WTAF? Seriously - what a ridiculous comment to make

You do know that LAM/exclusive BF is more effective as contraceptive than the pill, in the first six months?
Ridiculous that you should be advising anyone if you don't know something as simple as that!

Oh, where's my manners.

Welcome to Mumsnet, OP.

I had a mmc during ivf and the clinic I attended would not let me try again until I'd had 3 periods. Can't quite remember why but it was the protocol anyway. I'm assuming they say 4-6 months as that's how long it can take to re-establish your cycle after BF?

Rather than dismiss it I'd ask for a more detailed explanation of why.

Ah I think banana has probably just provided the explanation

I'd listen to the professionals ; they know what they are talking about. If you need IVF or whatever, I'm assuming it is being performed outside of the NHS then I would follow their advice to the letter if you want to have a reasonable chance of having another child.

three I'm so sorry about your MMC. I had a MMC and usually they recommend a break to let your endometrium recover. I was stimming again 8 weeks after my ERPC but it was a freeze all cycle for PGS so we weren't putting anything back straight away.

Thanks very much for the useful responces
my comment about "completely incorrect" referred to other healthcare professionals (health visitors, midwives, paediatricians etc), not the fertility clinic as this is the first time they've ever spoken to me about bf
I have to use a clinic as i'm single and our NHS Trust (like the majority) does not treat single women. My fertility at 35 was average, therefore not great. I'm 39 now and my little one is 10 months next week. My period returned last week. I had a 35% of conceiving my baby, I had clomid (long story) when i thought i was going to have IUI and produced so many follicles that I abandoned treatment. I know follicles don't necessary equal eggs.
Thanks again.

maybe the drugs arent suitable for the baby?

What a bizarre thread. If you're keen enough for a baby to go through ivf, why on earth would you not do everything they suggest in order to maximise your chances of success?

You do know that LAM/exclusive BF is more effective as contraceptive than the pill, in the first six months? Ridiculous that you should be advising anyone if you don't know something as simple as that!

Where did I say that I did not know that? Of course I know about LAM.

I was referring to this ridiculous comment:

You might as well be shocked that they expect you not to be on the pill while having IVF.

Breastfeeding during IVF does not equal being shocked that they'd expect you not to be on the pill. Breastfeeding is not a contraceptive after 6 months and is only a reliable contraceptive provided the other conditions for LAM are met before 6 months. Get your facts right before making statements like that.

OP, how old is your baby?

X post - just saw your baby is 10 months and your period just returned. Contact Dr Jack Newman and ask for his advice - he is a doctor after all and he is a world renowned expert on all things breastfeeding. And yes, many HCPs have zero breastfeeding knowledge which is why you should ask him for advice first before you go with what this clinic tell you.

Not sure why OP is being advised to speak to a breastfeeding expert. It's a fertility clinic issue, ie they are telling OP that b/f might adversely affect the outcome of her fertility treatment (it being all about hormone levels ...).

Honestly do you think Jack Newman would have the time to reply? Surely a doctor would want to be paid for advice.

The reality is that the op has a choice. Either she breastfeeds a little longer and tries for a baby next year or weans her baby now. Breastfeed often gives a natural spacing of three years. Breastfeeding suppresses fertility.

I think it would be slightly easier to wean a baby once its walking and into everything. I found that my children cut right back on feeds once they were awalking. There was too much to distract them. Night feeds are generally the last thing to go. Night weaning is a pig.

No I am not suggesting that breastfeeding is a reliable form of contraceptive. Just because a woman has periods doesn't necessarily mean she is fertile.

Avoiding pregnancy and actively conceiving are very different things. Breastfeeding can prevent ovulation in some women and suppress periods. If you are desperate to get pregnant then you need all the conditions to be perfect. Otherwise the risks of IVF are all for nothing and maybe the clinic would say it's not ethical to do IVF with such a low risk if sucess.

The drugs used for IUI just encourage natural hormone surges and aren't harmful for baby. Do a boy ov research (Google as much as you can) and make the decision for yourself.

Under the same (except I'm older and my AMH was woefully low the first time around) circumstances I chose to carry on feeding and ended up doing so right through pregnancy - something else I was advised against.

Good luck making your choices.