Study: Pregnancy gaps 'can harm babies'
This article appeared on netdoctor (UK site) yesterday.
:
Pregnancies which are spaced too far apart or too close together can increases the risk of babies being born underweight or prematurely, a Columbian study has suggested.
An interval of more than 59 months and less than 18 months increases the risk, according to the researchers from the Fundacion Santa Fe de Bogota.
They studied research carried out across the world between 1966 and 2006.
All of the studies took into account the age of the mother and her socioeconomic background, both of which can affect pregnancy outcomes.
The team, led by Dr Agustin Conde-Agudelo, wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA): "Interpregnancy intervals shorter than 18 months and longer than 59 months are significantly associated with increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes.
"These data suggest that spacing pregnancies appropriately could help prevent such adverse perinatal outcomes."
The researchers compared the women with gaps of less than six months with those who left a gap of between 18 and 23 months before their next pregnancy.
They found that babies born after a shorter gap had a 40 per cent increased risk of premature birth, a 61 per cent increased risk of low birth weight and a 26 per cent increased risk of being small for their age compared to those born after a longer gap.
Babies born after a gap of 59 months, almost five years, had a 20 to 43 per cent risk of suffering adverse effects.
For each month the pregnancy was shortened from 18 months, risk increased and for each month pregnancies were lengthened, risk also increased.
The researchers said it was not clear why longer gaps posed a greater risk to babies' health, but suggested that risk from leaving shorter gaps could be that the mother has not recovered from a previous pregnancy or is deficient in nutrients.
The researchers suggested women should not really try to have another baby for 18 months until after their last birth.
