Study of the effect of birth spacing on maternal health
El-Maaddawi, Y.; Aboul-Ella, M.N.; Abdel-Moneim, M.N.; Tantawy, A.B.
Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association 67(5-6): 725-729
1992
ISSN/ISBN: 0013-2446 PMID: 1294692 Document Number: 393350
A survey conducted among 324 married women with at least two living children in Cairo's Mansheit-Naser District revealed numerous significant differences between those who spaced their births at least two years apart and those with improperly spaced births. The 108 women who met the criterion of proper birth spacing were younger (mean age, 31.3 years) than their counterparts (mean age, 34.4 years), more likely to be of urban origin (58.2% versus 29.5%, respectively), and significantly more likely to be from the middle class (62.9% versus 37.1%, respectively). In terms of maternal health characteristics, the women whose births were well spaced were significantly less likely to be overweight (29.6% versus 41.7%), hypertensive (10.2% versus 25.9%), and to have edema (5.6% versus 18.1%). Other gynecologic and laboratory findings that were more frequent among women whose births were less than two years apart included vaginal discharge, cystorectocele, cervical erosion, anemia, and glucosuria. Finally, women with properly spaced births averaged 4.2 +or- 1.7 births compared to 6.6 +or- 2.8 births among those with close birth spacing and had experienced 0.41 +or- 0.81 infant deaths compared to 1.36 +or- 1.63. These findings underscore the health benefits, to mother and infant, of adequate birth spacing.