Abstract
Conclusions
Thirty lactating women studied during their postpartum period had 106 fairly regular cycles. Thirty-nine cycles were ovulatory in character, hence fertile. Forty-five cycles were anovulatory or sterile, hence the bleeding at the end of each cycle was not true menstruation for it did not come from a premenstrual endometrium. There were 22 cycles of doubtful interpretation, by which we mean that 10 or more days elapsed between the date of the biopsy and the onset of the next period of bleeding. Ovulation could, therefore, potentially occur between the date of biopsy and the onset of the flow. Forty-two to 63% of the lactating women who bleed at fairly regular intervals have anovulatory or sterile cycles.
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