الملخص الإنجليزي
Objectives: To evaluate the potential for Lactational Amenorrhoea
Method (LAM) and passive LAM among women with children
below 6 months in the 2003 Egypt Demographic Health Survey
(2003 EDHS), to assess the determinants of amenorrhea, and to
examine the association of exclusive breastfeeding and amenorrhea
with using modern contraceptive methods among nursing mothers
of children below 2 years, adjusting for other associated variables.
Methods: Data from the 2003 EDHS was downloaded from
the DHS website. A sub-sample of women fulfilling all the four
criteria were selected: 1) women with last birth of children less
than 2 years; 2) currently married; 3) not being sterilized; and 4)
currently breast feeding their children. Accordingly, 1934 women
entered into the statistical analysis, of them 629 had children
below 6 months.
Results: Nearly 24% of nursing mothers with children below 6
months met LAM criteria, of them passive LAM users constituted
79.1%. For women with children below 24 months, determinants
of amenorrhea were exclusive breast feeding, unemployment,
number of living children, husband education, number of feeding
at night, and having a male sex child. Higher education, urban
residence, positive attitude towards contraception increased the
likelihood of modern contraceptives use, whereas amenorrhea,
exclusive breast feeding, and having a wanted child decreased its
likelihood in multivariate analysis.
Conclusion: Exclusive breast feeding was associated with
amenorrhea and modern contraceptive methods use in a direct
and inverse fashion respectively. LAM is a commonly used method
but it is liable to discontinuation or violation of its criteria. Hence,
it is recommended to educate both the health care providers and
users about it.
