Women who breastfed for longer periods of time had
significantly lower risk of being diagnosed with endometriosis -- a gynecologic
disorder characterised by chronic pelvic pain and painful periods, according to
researchers.
The findings showed that for every three additional months
that mothers breastfed per pregnancy, women experienced an eight per cent drop
in risk of endometriosis.
Further, women who breastfed exclusively for 18 months or
more across their reproductive lifetime had a nearly 30 per cent lower risk of
being diagnosed with endometriosis.
"We found that women who breastfed for a greater
duration were less likely to be diagnosed with endometriosis," said Leslie
Farland, a research scientist at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in the US.
"Given the chronic nature of endometriosis and that
very few modifiable risk factors are currently known, breastfeeding may be an
important modifiable behaviour to reduce the risk of endometriosis among women
after pregnancy," Farland added.
For the study, published in the journal The BMJ, the team
analysed 3296 women who were surgically diagnosed with endometriosis after
their first pregnancy.
The research team examined how long each woman breastfed,
exclusively breastfed (breastfed without the introduction of solid food or
formula), and how much time passed before their first post-partum period.
Although for some, the decreased risk was found to be due to
post-partum amenorrhea -- the temporary absence of menstrual periods that
occurs when a woman is breastfeeding.
However, for others, breastfeeding was found to influence
endometriosis risk through other mechanisms.
Breastfeeding changes many of the hormones, including
oxytocin, estrogen and gonadotropin-releasing hormone besides others, in a
woman's body, the researchers said.
"Our work has important implications for advising women
who are looking to lower their risk of endometriosis and may lend support to
the body of public health and policy literature that advocates promotion of breastfeeding,"
