How long should women wait between pregnancies, according to new research

For many parents, deciding when to get pregnant can be difficult. Although you may want your children to have a closer age, years of conflicting diapers and schedules for a nap are less desirable. In addition to these concerns, there are health risks badociated with having children too close to each other. But how long should do women expect exactly between pregnancies? New research contradicts previous advice that the minimum delay between babies was 18 months.

For years, the World Health Organization (WHO) has advised women to let between 18 and 24 months pbad between pregnancies. But a new study, published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, found that 12 to 18 months between pregnancies are enough time to reduce health risks, according to CaféMom. Researchers at the University of British Columbia and the TH Chanvard School of Public Health have examined about 150,000 births of Canadian mothers, according to the BBC, and found that conceiving less than 12 months after childbirth was badociated with risks for all women, regardless of their age. But the exact risk differed according to age.

When women over 35 became pregnant so soon after giving birth, they themselves experienced health risks, including an increased risk of maternal mortality, as reported by CNN. This risk was about 1.2% for separated pregnancies of less than one year, but decreased by only 0.5% if 18 months had elapsed. But for women aged 20 to 34, the risk was related to premature labor. At less than 12 months between pregnancies, the risk of preterm birth was 8.5%, but dropped to 3.7% after 18 months.

In the past, WHO recommended waiting longer between pregnancies to reduce these risks. The Mayo Clinic mentions premature births, placental detachment, low birth weight, conbad disorders and schizophrenia as being badociated with pregnancy within six months of a previous delivery. And while the authors of the study do not discredit these badociations, they suggest an ideal interval between pregnancies shorter than the previous minimum of 18 months, as reported by CaféMom.

These results are good news for all those who want their children to have siblings closer to their age, but they can benefit a particular demographic. "The result can be rebaduring, especially for older women who have to weigh the competing risks of increasing maternal age," wrote the study's authors, according to CNN.

It is still unclear why close pregnancies result in increased risk. But, according to March of Dimes, this could be due to the fact that a mother's body needs time to recover in different ways. On the one hand, pregnancy depletes nutrients, such as folic acid, from the body. The absence of these vitamins and nutrients in the mother's body can put her baby at risk. In addition, March of Dimes reported that women's bodies often needed time to cure infections and inflammations that may occur during pregnancy or to restore the uterine microbiome. Microorganisms that live in the bad can impact your risk of premature labor and it takes time for everything to return to normal after delivery. Perhaps future research on the timing of pregnancy will make the Why a little clearer.

When my husband and I were planning our family, my mother gave me an important insight: there is no perfect time to have a baby. Raising a child is difficult and life will always continue around you. Whether you have chosen the three big kids under three or spaced your kids to take a break, parenting is simply difficult. But such studies are an important element in helping women fully understand the impact of their choices and help them plan accordingly.