Fewer children born after Caesarean delivery: Study

Washington, Apr 1 : Women who have a Caesarean delivery for their first child are more likely to have fewer kids later, as compared to women who give birth normally, says a new study.

Researchers from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) and University of Bergen gathered the data on all first-time births from 1967-1996 and followed up until 2003.

"Our finding confirms that from other studies; that women who give birth to their first child by Caesarean section less frequently have child number two and three than women who give birth in the normal way," said Dr Kari Klungsoyr, researcher and physician from the Medical Birth Registry.

"We have looked further to see which births the reduced fertility concerns," he added.

The probability of having child number two for women who had a Caesarean section was 12 percent lower than for women who gave birth vaginally.

They also found that if the child was stillborn or died in the first year of life, the number of subsequent pregnancies was not reduced.

Moreover, if the child survived, there were more women who did not have more than one child, compared with women who gave birth in the traditional way.

The study is published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology.

ANI