Family planning: This is the ideal spacing between two pregnancies

Between a birth and a subsequent pregnancy should be a study, according to a break of at least one year. "Our study has found an increased risk both for the mother and for the Baby when pregnancies closely follow each other," said the main author, Laura Schummers of the University of British Columbia. "Particularly important are the findings for older women because they tend to be pregnancies with short breaks and often not aware of it." For the in the journal "Jama Internal Medicine" study published over 148,000 pregnancies of more than 123.000 women were evaluated in the canadian province of British Columbia.

1.2 per cent of women over the age of 35 who were less than six months after birth pregnant again, suffered according to the study, serious complications or died, in individual cases, even, during, or not long after birth. In the case of a break of a minimum of 18 months, the risk decreased to about 0.5 percent. In younger women between the ages of 20 and 34, this increased risk was not given. The risk of a preterm birth in a very timely again, pregnancy was still more increased.

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speaks openly about birth planning, The study could encourage women to have children, but also earlier another child. The world health organization recommended in 2005, to wait after a pregnancy even 24 months.

Schummers and colleagues recommend in their study, an "optimal interval between pregnancies" of about 18 months, with a game room between 12 and 24 months.

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Despite the increased risk of a short pregnancy break could be a "rational decision", write the researchers, Stephanie Teal and Jeanelle Sheeder in a comment on the study. The age of mothers had increased due to their career possibilities. "Clinicians should understand that women want more children than 35 years, perhaps as recommended, or sooner want to give birth." The risks need to be weighed.

The average age of women in Germany at the birth of their children has increased in the last decades, from 27.9 years in 1991 to 31.2 years in the year 2017.

Other risk factors

The study leaves open some questions: As the University of British Columbia, were not investigated the reasons for the complications. Women who were less than six months, pregnant again, came according to the study, most likely from residential areas, low-income, took care of the least to prenatal care and smoked the most during pregnancy.

Particularly in young women could closely indicate consecutive pregnancies that are unplanned, said the co-author Sonia Hernandez-Diaz. "Whether the increased risks are due to our body not able to recover in a timely pregnancy or factors associated with unplanned pregnancy is not such as inadequate prenatal care, to change the recommendation," she said. The access to contraception should be facilitated after birth. Women should avoid unprotected Sex with men in the time after the birth.

ikr / DPA Date Of Update: 04 November 2018, 20:01