Pregnancy Gap Should Be At Least A Year - Researchers

A recent study indicates that mothers must wait at least a year between delivery and pregnancy to reduce the risk to the health of the mother and baby.

But researchers say they do not need to wait as long as the 18 months recommended in current World Health Organization guidelines.

Small gaps between pregnancies risk premature births, smaller babies, and infant and maternal mortality.

The researchers hope the results will be "reassuring" for older women.

Dr. Wendy Norman, the lead author of the study, said it was "encouraging news" for women over 35 who planned their families.

"For the first time, older mothers have excellent evidence to guide the spacing of their children," he said.

"Achieving this optimal one-year interval should be achievable for many women and it is clearly helpful to reduce the risk of complications."

The study of nearly 150,000 births in Canada, conducted by the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Harvard's THard School of Public Health, is published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

The study found that between 12 and 18 months, the ideal interval between delivery and pregnancy was again.

Current World Health Organization guidelines recommend an ideal interval of 24 months and at least 18 months.

The researchers also discovered:

•     Being pregnant less than 12 months after giving birth was associated with risks for women of all ages
•     The mother was only at risk for women over the age of 35, while the risks for the baby were observed for all women, but were higher for those aged 20 to 34 years.
•     Women over 35 who gave birth six months after a previous birth were at risk of 1.2% maternal mortality or harm (12 per 1,000 pregnancies).
•     The 18-month wait between pregnancies reduced the risk to 0.5% (five cases per 1,000)
•     Younger women who became pregnant six months after a previous birth were at 8.5% (85 per 1,000) risk of preterm birth
•     This was reduced to 3.7% (37 per 1,000) if they waited 18 months between pregnancies

Lead author Laura Schummers said, "Our study found that risks to mother and child were greater when pregnancies were separated, even for women over 35 years of age.

"The findings regarding older women are particularly important because they tend to space their pregnancies more often and often do so intentionally."

As the study analyzes only a population of women in Canada, its applicability in the world is unclear.

The researcher, Ms. Sonia Hernández-Díaz, said the results suggested different risks for each age group.

"The limited space between pregnancies may reflect unplanned pregnancies, especially among young women.

"If the high risks are due to the fact that our body does not have time to recover if we conceive shortly after delivery or because of factors associated with unplanned pregnancies, such as inadequate antenatal care, the recommendation could be the same: to improve access to postpartum contraception or to abstain from unprotected sex with a male partner after a birth. "

Mandy Forrester, Royal College of Midwives, said the study was "a useful research and builds on previous research on birth spacing".

"In the end, it will be the woman's choice, no matter how old she is, how long she will retire between pregnancies." The important thing is that they know about birth spacing evidence and make their choice by arming. with the correct information.

"Health professionals will always support a woman in her choice, which will be done for what is right for her and for her pregnancy.

She stated that women should have access to contraceptive counseling to space births if they chose, but added that the provision of specialized family planning services in the UK was "irregular", doctors often only offer contraceptives. orally. "

"Specialized services must be available for all women."