Effects of breastfeeding on women's health.

Research about the effects of breastfeeding on maternal health has concentrated primarily on breast cancer, bone loss, and maternal depletion. Breastfeeding may provide some protection against breast cancer. Adequate maternal nutrition, a prolonged period of weaning, and adequate child spacing are expected to alleviate any potential bone loss or maternal depletion caused by breastfeeding. Regardless of how one chooses to weight the relative benefits and risks of breastfeeding to the mother, it seems clear that the programmatic tasks are to see that breastfeeding women are adequately fed and enabled to space their pregnancies.