Summary

Interval between pregnancies, obstetric history and unwanted pregnancy outcomes

Ingress: A longitudinal retrospective cohort study on the effect of gestational interval on maternal and child health.

Abstract:

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that women wait at least 2 years after giving birth before becoming pregnant again. The recommendation is based on observational studies (mainly from low-income countries) that have shown correlations between short pregnancies / interpregnancy intervals (IPI) and undesirable pregnancy outcomes (such as birth mortality, low birth weight, premature birth, birth defects, etc.). The advice is not relevant for women in high-income countries. There is a conflicting hypothesis that relationships between short IPIs and negative pregnancy outcomes can be partly explained by systematic errors. There are still unknown mechanisms that affect the connection between IPI and specific pregnancy outcomes. This makes current knowledge about the effects of IPI clinically unreliable. Studies with a larger sample size from high-income countries are needed to be able to identify optimal pregnancy intervals (IPI). A longitudinal retrospective cohort study on the effect of IPI on maternal and child health.

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Project participants

Project leader

Siri Eldevik Håberg, Norwegian Institute of Public Health

Project participants

Siri Eldevik Håberg, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Gavin Pereira, Curtin University
Eva Malacova, Curtin University
Stephen Ball, Curtin University
Annette Regan, Curtin University
Inger Johanne Landsjøåsen Bakken, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Maria Christine Magnus, Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Natasha Nassar, University of New South Wales