Pregnancy & Baby Index: Pregnancy - Miscarriage and Loss: Maybe, baby - sooner?

Maybe, baby - sooner?

Go to: Previous story | Next story

Women who wait six years or more before their second pregnancy increase their risk of having a stillborn infant compared to women who don't wait that long to become pregnant again, according to a large Swedish study in the July 2003 issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Both short and long interpregnancy (between pregnancy) intervals have previously been associated with low birth weight, preterm delivery, and small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants. Women today are advised to wait two years between pregnancies to help ensure a healthy baby.

The Swedish researchers found that women who became pregnant less than three months after the end of their last pregnancy were not at higher risk for stillbirth or newborn death unless their previous pregnancy ended in a stillbirth, infant death, preterm delivery, or delivery of an SGA infant.

However, women who waited six years or longer between pregnancies increased their risk of having a stillbirth, regardless of previous pregnancy outcomes.