IVF and Breastfeeding

Jeany Elliott

Recorded at Hot Milk, the Australian Breastfeeding Association's National Conference at the Melbourne Convention Centre, August 2-4th 2007
Saturday 4th August 2007 1:45pm
45:18mins  10.7 MB

Personal opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the
Australian Breastfeeding Association
www.breastfeeding.asn.au

About the Presenter
I am the mother of three daughters, all conceived using IVF. I am also a breastfeeding counsellor with the Australian Breastfeeding Association. I have been breastfeeding without a break of more than a few days for the past nine years and three and a half  months. I have continued to breastfeed through a successful IVF treatment cycle and a frozen embryo transfer treatment cycle; I have breastfed through two pregnancies and have tandem breastfed (and am currently tandem feeding my five and a half year old and my almost-two year old)

IVF and Breastfeeding
Thousands of Australian couples each year seek to increase their families with the help of IVF and related reproductive therapies. Almost invariably they are told that they must wean their babies before embarking on any fertility treatment. Total weaning is the standard advice given by most clinics and fertility doctors. From my own experience and further research on the topic, I am convinced that for a significant proportion of those women, weaning may not be necessary. In this session I would like to explore with you the potential effects breastfeeding may have on fertility treatment, the potential effects on breastfeeding and breastfed babies from IVF and related treatments, and the circumstances under which some women may be able to continue breastfeeding while undergoing fertility treatment.

Produced by the Australian Breastfeeding Association
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