No-Gap Pregnancies: Are They a Healthy Choice to Make?

The necessary space gap between two successive pregnancies is not discussed often in our society. However, it is important for both mother’s and the baby’s health and overall well-being. Some recent studies have shown that at least 12-18 months of gap between two successive pregnancies is ideal for women.

Family planning involves many factors that have to be considered like the age of parents, fertility status of parents, socio-economic position of the family and personal preferences. While some parents want children who are closely placed in age so that they might be able to face challenges like sleep deprivation, toilet training and other parental roles at the same time, others might want to give all their focus on one child at a time. Hence, the space gap between children can differ from family to family. The article primarily focuses on mothers who might go for two successive pregnancies without any gap and discusses whether it might be healthy for the mother or not.

Why no-gap pregnancies could be unhealthy?

As per studies, two successive pregnancies with fewer than 12 months gap are associated with increased risk of illness, death and spontaneous preterm delivery. As per experts, if the prior pregnancy involved a caesarean cut, the risk can increase because surgical delivery weakens the uterine wall and a shorter interpregnancy interval can increase the risk of scar complications. In extreme cases, it could also lead to uterine rupture.

A pregnancy experience involves many stressors, both physical and emotional. If the gap between two successive pregnancies is less than 12 months, it would give mothers less time to recover from pregnancy stressors from the previous delivery like weight gain, depletion of important minerals and vitamins, and emotional and physical demands that might be required for a new born child.

Is there an ideal gap?

As per experts, there is no ideal gap that must be kept between two successive pregnancies but close childbirth can increase the risk of premature and low-weight babies. A short interpregnancy gap is usually defined as less than 18 months to two years. Some studies have associated no-gap pregnancies with young mothers and low literacy. While there is no strict rule on the time gap, most studies and experts agree that there must be an interpregnancy gap of 18-24 months between two successive pregnancies.