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Does a traumatic birth experience have an impact on future reproduction?
Article first published online: 22 DEC 2003
DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2002.01200.x
Issue
1471-0528/asset/cover.gif?v=1&s=b4e1d96c46e18c61210d584b63c13ee375cf562b "BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology")
BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Volume 109, Issue 3, pages 254–260, March 2002
Additional Information
How to Cite
Gottvall, K. and Waldenström, U. (2002), Does a traumatic birth experience have an impact on future reproduction?. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 109: 254–260. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2002.01200.x
Publication History
- Issue published online: 22 DEC 2003
- Article first published online: 22 DEC 2003
- Accepted 4 December 2001
- Abstract
- Article
- References
- Cited By
Objective To investigate whether women's experiences of their first birth affects future reproduction.
Design Prospective cohort study.
Setting South Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Population Six hundred and seventeen women who gave birth to their first child 1989–1992.
Methods A global measure of women's experiences of their first birth, assessed two months postpartum, was available from a birth centre trial, together with information on a range of background variables. This information was linked to the Swedish Medical Birth Register, which included information on the number of subsequent births during the following 8–10 years.
Main Outcome Measures Number of births (0 or ≥1) following the first birth.
Results Women with a negative experience of their first birth had fewer subsequent children and a longer interval to the second baby (RR 1.7, 95% CI 1.3–2.3). Being 35 years and older (RR 2.6, 95% CI 1.6–3.7), or single (RR 2.6, 95% CI 1.7–3.9) was also associated with subsequent infertility.
Conclusion A negative birth experience was associated with subsequent infertility, and women's experiences should therefore be considered seriously in the provision of maternity care.