Plana-Ripoll O, et al. - Researchers investigated whether the death of a child is associated with higher subsequent fertility. Findings suggest a higher fertility among women who had lost a child both shortly after the loss and throughout the entire follow-up. This association was evident independent of the child’s age at the time of death.

Methods

• All women who gave birth in Denmark from 1978 to 2004 and in Sweden from 1973 to 2002 (N = 1 979 958) formed the source population for this matched cohort study.
• Researchers followed the women through to the end of 2008 in Denmark and the end of 2006 in Sweden.
• Participants comprised an exposed group consisting of women who had lost a child before the age of 45 years during the study period (n = 36 511) and an unexposed group consisting of up to five matched women from the same country and of similar age and family characteristics and had not lost a child at the time of matching (n = 182 522).

Results

• During follow-up, another birth (live- or stillbirth) was observed in 74% of exposed and 46% of unexposed women after a gestation of 28 weeks or more.
• Exposed women, compared to unexposed women, displayed a shorter interpregnancy interval and, consequently, a higher rate of conception leading to a birth (HR = 5.5 [95% CI: 5.4–5.6]).
• Findings suggested higher rates for exposed women from the first month following the child’s death, but the largest difference was noted between 2 and 3 months after the event.
• Researchers noted this pattern irrespective of the age of the deceased child.
• Compared to unexposed women, exposed women had more subsequent children, leading to a comparable number of living children at the end of follow-up.