AbstractThis paper examines the effects of nursing behavior on the duration of lactation amenorrhea in 382 rural Indonesian women who experienced resumption of menses while breastfeeding or were breastfeeding and amenorrheic at the end of a two‐year prospective study. Three primary breastfeeding variables (number of night‐time nursing bouts, number of day‐time nursing bouts, and minutes per bout) were used to develop a behavioral model for breastfeeding. Four breastfeeding patterns were identified for these women. These were designated as: (1) low intensity, (2) medium‐low intensity, (3) medium‐high intensity, and (4) high intensity breastfeeding behavior. Menses resumed at medians of 11.2,16.0,17.6, and 20.8 months, respectively, for these groups. The relationships among the breastfeeding variables in the behavioral model and return to menses were developed and tested by life table and proportional hazards models. Ten per cent of the high intensity breastfeeding group (6 women) delayed menses between 33 and 52 weeks, while 90 per cent (56 women) postponed return of menses for over one year.