Amenorrhea (cessation of menstruation) helps the body to conserve body fluids.

Reestablishment of ovulation and menstruation is influenced by whether the mother is breast-feeding or not.

Ovulation is delayed in direct proportion to the amount and length of time the baby is breast-fed. The absence of menstruation in a breast-feeding mother does not necessarily indicate absence of ovulation. Breast-feeding is not a means of birth control; contraceptives should be used.