THE USE OF INJECTABLE CONTRACEPTIVES IN NURSING MOTHERS (Atena Editora)

Abstract

Faced with changes in women's reproductive rights, the use of contraceptives has become increasingly routine. One of the options being explored is monthly and quarterly injectable contraceptives. A point discussed is about this method and its relationship with lactation. This systematic review evaluates injectable contraceptives and assesses the risks of exposing the newborn to steroidal hormones from breast milk, when the mother decides to use this method in the postpartum period. For a better extraction of results, the research was carried out by searching for clinical studies, systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in English and Portuguese, in the PubMed, LILACS, Scielo databases, and in the Portal Periódicos CAPES from August 2021 to February 2022. Thus, the objective was to identify the mechanism of action of injectable contraceptives, evaluating their advantages and disadvantages. In this context, it became evident that the quarterly injectable has few adverse effects on lactation and on the growth and development of newborns. The use of combined contraceptives, such as monthly injectables and oral hormonal contraceptives, must be discouraged among nursing mothers, as they negatively interfere with the composition, quality and quantity of breast milk, as well as adversely affect the baby's health, as there are mechanisms that present a higher risk of transferring hormones to the newborn and the possibility of alterations in child development, due to their non-metabolization by the immature liver and the difficulty of excretion by the still-developing kidneys.