Women who suffer pregnancy complications have fewer children, reveals research

All in all, 3.5 per cent of the first-time mothers in the study suffered serious complications and were 12 per cent less likely to have a second baby. Most impacted were women who had experienced cardiac complications, a ruptured uterus or severe mental health problems, who were 50 per cent less likely to have another birth than women who had not experienced such complications.

Women who needed respiratory care or who suffered a cerebrovascular accident like stroke or intracranial haemorrhage were 40 per cent less likely to have a second baby. Acute kidney failure, severe preeclampsia and blood clotting were also associated with a lower probability of a second pregnancy. The researchers also compared the women with any sisters they had to control for familial factors.

“The reasons are hard to speculate on and may result from multiple factors, such as decreased desire for more children, trauma, infertility related to psychiatric medications, or lack of health counselling,” says Tsamantioti. “Proper support and monitoring by antenatal care staff is therefore essential for women who have suffered serious health problems during pregnancy or delivery.”

Reference:

Tsamantioti E, Sandström A, Lindblad Wollmann C, Snowden JM, Razaz N. Association of Severe Maternal Morbidity With Subsequent Birth. JAMA. Published online November 25, 2024. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.20957.