What are the effects of taking birth control pills during breastfeeding on the baby?

During the process of having a child, some couples have abstained from sex for many months. After the birth of the baby, many couples can't wait to have sex, but they are worried about pregnancy, so many women want to take birth control pills to prevent pregnancy. But for female friends who are breastfeeding, taking birth control pills during breastfeeding will have adverse effects on the baby due to the drug ingredients.

Can I take emergency contraception during breastfeeding?

You cannot take birth control pills while breastfeeding. Emergency contraceptives contain estrogen and estrogens. Intake of estrogen can cause gastrointestinal reactions during lactation, affect appetite, and cause a decrease in the content of protein, fat, and nutrients in breast milk, which has a great impact on the development of the baby. In addition, when babies ingest breast milk containing estrogen, it can cause breast development in male babies and abnormal secondary sexual characteristics in female babies, such as hyperplasia of vaginal epithelial cells and hypertrophy of labia majora. In addition, if you take estrogen for 3 to 6 weeks during breastfeeding, the amount of milk will be reduced by about half, which is extremely bad for babies who are exclusively breastfed.

Therefore, it is recommended that the following contraceptive methods be used during breastfeeding:

1. Sterilization: It is a permanent method of sterilization. It uses minimally invasive surgery to ligate the ejaculatory duct or bilateral fallopian tubes to block sperm from entering the semen, or to prevent egg cells from meeting sperm through the bilateral fallopian tubes. This method has no effect on male sexual function, female menstruation and sexual life; but it is not suitable for breastfeeding women with severe neurosis, illness or urinary tract inflammation. The error rate of this method of sterilization is less than 10%.

2. Medications containing estrogen: This contraceptive measure is actually effective and does not affect the secretion of milk or the development of the baby. However, because it contains estrogen, some women will experience menstrual cycle disorders, spotting, prolonged menstruation or amenorrhea. At this time, they should change to other contraceptive measures under the guidance of a doctor. Regular estrogen-containing contraceptives include long-acting contraceptive injections that are injected once every three months and subcutaneous implants that can maintain contraceptive effectiveness for 3 to 5 years after a single implant.