Skip Navigation



Hum. Reprod. Advance Access published online on January 23, 2008
Human Reproduction, doi:10.1093/humrep/dem428
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF )
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
23/3/543    most recent
dem428v1
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Eijsink, J.J.H.
Right arrow Articles by van der Linden, P.J.Q.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Eijsink, J.J.H.
Right arrow Articles by van der Linden, P.J.Q.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Pregnancy after Caesarean section: fewer or later?

J.J.H. Eijsink1,2, L. van der Leeuw-Harmsen1 and P.J.Q. van der Linden1,3

1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Deventer Ziekenhuis, PO Box 5001, Deventer 7400 GC, The Netherlands

3 Correspondence address. Tel: +31-570-646741; Fax: +31-570-646746; E-mail: p.j.q.vanderlinden{at}dz.nl

BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether having a Caesarean section results in fewer subsequent pregnancies with longer intervals between pregnancies, an effect which may impact on the reproductive performance of a population. Our aim was to determine the implications of a Caesarean section on the subsequent fecundity and interpregnancy interval.

METHODS: This is a cohort study. The obstetric follow-up of primiparous women who delivered by a Caesarean section of a singleton infant in breech presentation is compared with the follow-up of women who delivered vaginally of a singleton infant after a physiological, uncomplicated pregnancy.

RESULTS: A total of 279 women delivered a singleton infant in breech presentation at term. From these women, 165 (59.1%) had a Caesarean section. In this group, 131 (79.4%) women had a subsequent pregnancy. In the reference group of 268 women who delivered vaginally, 208 (77.6%) became pregnant again. The median interval between birth of the first child and the beginning of the next pregnancy was 20 months for the Caesarean section group and 18 months for the reference group. No significant difference in interpregnancy interval between the different groups was found.

CONCLUSIONS: Women who delivered by Caesarean section at term in their first pregnancy do not have fewer second pregnancies compared with women who delivered vaginally. The interpregnancy interval between first and second pregnancy was not prolonged.

Key words: Caesarean section/interpregnancy interval/subsequent pregnancy/mode of delivery/fecundity

2 Present address: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Medical Centre Groningen, PO Box 30.001, Groningen 9700 RB, The Netherlands

Submitted on June 27, 2007; resubmitted on December 6, 2007; accepted on December 13, 2007.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.