Long Gap Between Pregnancies Increases Stillborn Risk

SWEDEN, July 2, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) –  Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, have found that mothers who separated their children by an interval of at least six years were 50 percent more likely to have a stillborn child, compared to women who waited between one and three years between children.  The findings, which appeared in the journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, were drawn from a review of the outcomes of two consecutive deliveries of 410,021 women who gave birth in Sweden between 1983 and 1997.  The study also disagreed with previous research which had suggested that short intervals between pregnancies could also have negative consequences. The authors explained that “When we controlled for (additional factors) a short interpregnancy interval was not associated with increased risks of stillbirth and early neonatal death.” Similar control of additional factors, such as whether the mother smoked or had diabetes, for large interval pregnancies still left the increased risk.  See the Reuters Health coverage:  https://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2003/06/30/eline/links/20030630elin004.html