Breastfeeding

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Related Topics pages:

Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM)

Mother-to-Child Transmission (MTCT) of HIV

Breast milk is often the primary, and sometimes sole, source of nutrition for infants in developing countries. Researchers at FHI contributed to studies showing that breastfeeding also can provide temporary contraception to women who practice the Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM). LAM is about 98-percent effective in protecting against pregnancy if the following criteria are met: the mother has not experienced the return of her menstrual periods; the mother is fully or almost fully breastfeeding; and the baby is less than six months old.

When an HIV-positive woman breastfeeds, she risks transmitting the virus to her baby. FHI has produced evidence-based strategies to help HIV-infected women carefully balance the risk of HIV transmission from mother to child with the well-known benefits of breastfeeding.

FHI scientists are leading a cross-disciplinary international team to develop a device that will kill the HIV virus in breast milk without harming the infant—allowing HIV-positive mothers to breastfeed their infants safely. Known as the JustMilk Nipple Shield, the project is funded by a Grand Challenge Explorations Grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as well as a competitive internal FHI award. The centerpiece of the "JustMilk" project is a conventional marketed nipple shield (typically used when infants have trouble latching on to the breast) equipped with a tiny fabric disk treated with an inexpensive microbicide. The disk is designed to kill any HIV in the milk. Results from previous research have shown that sodium dodecyl sulfate can kill HIV quickly and effectively.  Preliminary results from a focus group study in Kenya suggest that the device would be acceptable to mothers, assuming it is found to be safe and effective.