Postpartum amenorrhoea in rural eastern Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract

This paper calculates the mean duration of the postpartum amenorrhoea (PPA) and examines its demographic, and socioeconomic correlates in rural north India, using data collected through 'retrospective' (last but one child) as well as 'current status' (last child) reporting of the duration of PPA. The mean duration of PPA was higher in the current status than in the retrospective data; the difference being statistically significant. However, for the same mothers who gave PPA information in both the data sets, the difference in mean duration of PPA was not statistically significant. The correlates were identical in both the data sets. The current status data were more complete in terms of the coverage, and perhaps less distorted by reporting errors caused by recall lapse. A positive relationship of the mean duration of PPA was found with longer breast-feeding, higher parity and age of mother at the birth of the child, and the survival status of the child. An inverse relationship was found with higher education of a woman, higher education of her husband and higher socioeconomic status of her household, these variables possibly acting as proxies for women's better nutritional status.; The differentials of the mean duration of postpartum amenorrhea (PPA) were investigated in a study conducted in five villages in the Varanasi district in Uttar Pradesh State, India, in 1995. Information was collected from 1060 mothers about their last birth and from 767 mothers about the penultimate birth. Following a peak at 1 month's duration, the PPA distribution showed heaping at durations of multiples of 6. The mean duration of PPA was 7.2 months after the birth of the last child and 7.7 months when the duration between the date of the last birth and the survey date was used for the analysis. Survival analysis indicated that the chance of resumption of menses at 3 months postpartum was 44% after the birth of the last child and 49% for the last but one child. The shorter duration of PPA in the latter group may reflect differences between retrospective and current status data quality. Multivariate analysis revealed that the duration of PPA increased with longer durations of breast feeding, higher parity and maternal age, and if the child survived to the next birth or the time of the survey. PPA duration was negatively associated with maternal and paternal education, higher socioeconomic status, and residence in a pukka house--variables that may be proxies for improved maternal nutrition status.