Evaluating acceptance strategies for timing of postpartum contraception.

What is the best time after childbirth to accept contraception? The problem is to reduce overlap with postpartum anovulation, during which contraception is redundant, but simultaneously to reduce the proportion of women conceiving before contraception is inaugurated. Efficiencies of three classes of acceptance strategies at resolving this dilemma are investigated. Particular attention is paid to the postpartum acceptance rule because of its special administrative advantages. Its efficiency relative to those of other rules is found to be enhanced by conditions of short postpartum anovulation, a high proportion of ovulatory rather than anovulatory first menstrual cycles, a high level of natural fecundability, and, especially, a high level of contraceptive continuation.