How well-nourished they are, whether or not they are chronically ill, their degree or patterns of illness, the cyclical availability of food. Leslie found that the Turkana experience a very marked season of conception that occurs about four months after the rainy season. They conceive when they are the best nourished. Little said there is also a connection between reproduction and breastfeeding. For the Turkana, breastfeeding serves to reduce the probability of conception.
Conception is less likely when the woman is somewhat undernourished.
From their livestock and sparse vegetation. They bleed their animals on a rotating basis, but they don't bleed pregnant, lactating or immature animals. The proportions of these foods in the diet vary considerably according to season and year, and are especially variable during drought conditions. The studies of the Turkana have been groundbreaking according to Little. The collaboration between those with common interests in human ecology has been interesting and exciting.