Wait a year till you get pregnant again, new mums urged

‘Older women tend to leave short gaps’

COUPLES should wait for at least a year after a baby is born before trying for their next child, a major study suggests.

A gap of 12 to 18 months between pregnancies was shown to be the safest for both mother and child, Harvard scientists found.

Experts said the findings are particularly important for older mothers, who often try to have several children in a short period, to complete their family before their fertility declines.

The study, which analysed 148,500 Canadian pregnancies over a decade, found a gap of less than 12 months was the most dangerous – increasing the risk of maternal death, premature birth, stillbirth and low birth weight.

Waiting for 12 to 18 months was the safest option, after which the risks very gradually rose again.

Study leader Dr Laura Schummers, whose findings are published in JAMA Internal Medicine, said: ‘Our study found increased risks to both mother and infant when pregnancies are closely spaced.’

The risks are different according to a woman’s age. For those over 35, a short gap was particularly dangerous for the mother herself. For younger women, the risk to the mother was negligible, but there was an increased chance of the baby being born prematurely. Among women over 35 who conthe ceived six months after a previous birth, the researchers found a 1.2 per cent risk of maternal death or severe harm. After a wait of 18 months the risk dropped by more than half, to 0.5 per cent.

For younger women, a six-month gap between pregnancies resulted in an 8.5 per cent risk of preterm birth – delivery before 37 weeks – which dropped to 3.7 per cent with an 18-month gap. Among over-35s, preterm birth risk was 6 per cent for a six-month gap, and 3.4 per cent for an 18-month wait.

Researcher Dr Wendy Norman, of the University of British Columbia, said the ‘one-year interval is clearly worthwhile’.

Scientists believe a short time between pregnancies does not leave the body enough time to recover. Leaving it too long brings the risk of complications associated with an ageing mother.

Experts from the University of Colorado, writing in the same journal, said women increasingly feel pressure to leave shorter gaps between pregnancies because they are starting families at an older age and know their fertility will decline.

That trend is mirrored in the UK, as more women focus on their career before having children. In 2016 the average age of a first-time mother in England and Wales was 28.8 – up from 23.5 in 1970.

Mandy Forrester of the Royal College of Midwives said: ‘It will be a woman’s choice about how long they leave between their pregnancies. What is important is that they are aware of the evidence.’