SHORT BIRTH INTERVALS DONT KILL WOMEN - EVIDENCE FROM MATLAB, BANGLADESH

No previously published study has provided evidence to support the fre quently made assertion that closely spaced births increase the risk of maternal death. This study reviews the literature for evidence suppor ting an association between short birth intervals and maternal mortali ty and presents empirical evidence to address the question of whether short birth-to-conception intervals alter the risk of maternal death. In this nested case-control study selected from a cohort of women unde r demographic surveillance in Matlab, Bangladesh, the length of the pr eceding birth-to-conception interval is found not to affect the risk o f maternal mortality. These results do not support the claim that birt hs that are too close increase the risk of maternal death.