title: Effects of interpregnancy interval and outcome of the preceding pregnancy on pregnancy outcomes in Matlab, Bangladesh.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the effects on pregnancy outcomes of the duration of the preceding interpregnancy interval (IPI) and type of pregnancy outcome that began the interval.
  
  
  METHODS
  Observational population-based study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Maternal Child Health-Family Planning (MCH-FP) area of Matlab, Bangladesh.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 66,759 pregnancy outcomes that occurred between 1982 and 2002.
  
  
  METHODS
  Bivariate tabulations and multinomial logistic regression analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pregnancy outcomes (live birth, stillbirth, miscarriage [spontaneous fetal loss prior to 28 weeks], and induced abortion).
  
  
  RESULTS
  When socio-economic and demographic covariates are controlled, of the IPIs that began with a live birth, those < 6 months in duration were associated with a 7.5-fold increase in the odds of an induced abortion (95% CI 6.0-9.4), a 3.3-fold increase in the odds of a miscarriage (95% CI 2.8-3.9), and a 1.6-fold increase in the odds of a stillbirth (95% CI 1.2-2.1) compared with 27- to 50-month IPIs. IPIs of 6-14 months were associated with increased odds of induced abortion (2.0, 95% CI 1.5-2.6). IPIs > or = 75 months were associated with increased odds of all three types of non-live-birth (NLB) outcomes but were not as risky as very short intervals. IPIs that began with a NLB were generally more likely to end with the same type of NLB.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women whose pregnancies are between 15 and 75 months after a preceding pregnancy outcome (regardless of its type) have a lower likelihood of fetal loss than those with shorter or longer IPIs. Those with a preceding NLB outcome deserve special attention in counselling and monitoring.
authors.affiliation: Labor and Population Program, The RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA, USA. julie@rand.org
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: DaVanzo
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hale
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Razzaque
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rahman
mesh_terms: D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000453:epidemiology; D001459:Bangladesh; D001721:Birth Intervals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D050498:Live Birth / Q000453:epidemiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D050497:Stillbirth / Q000453:epidemiology