Trends in Short Interpregnancy Interval Births in the United States, 2016-2022

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39509707/ The number of “short interpregnancy interval births”—the period between a live birth and conception of the next pregnancy­—remained stable between 2016 and 2022, according to an AHRQ-funded study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that women wait more than 6 months after a live birth before getting pregnant to prevent adverse outcomes such as preterm birth and infant mortality. Researchers examined the data of 14,770,411 single live births to individuals with at least one prior live birth and found that nearly 30 percent had a period of less than 8 months, 5 percent had less than 6 months, and 11 percent had a gap lasting 6 to 11 months between the first birth and the next pregnancy. Researchers hypothesized that improvements in postpartum contraceptive access may help reduce the prevalence of short interpregnancy intervals.