Two-Years-Gap Between Pregnancies Helps Women Avoid Osteoporosis Later in Life

Getting pregnant in less than a year apart might have a greater risk for osteoporosis later in life, so women should take a gap of two years between pregnancies, suggests a new study. For the study, researchers compared the reproductive histories of 239 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis to 298 similar women without thinning bones. According to the study, pregnancies no more than 12 months apart were linked to a four-fold higher risk of osteoporosis.

Lead author of the study Dr. Gulcin Sahin Esroy of the Yale School of said that they already knew that postmenopausal osteoporosis was directly influenced by the pregnancy itself as well as other variables in obstetric history such as breastfeeding and age at first pregnancy.

The researchers analyzed bone tissue of postmenopausal women and found in addition to brief intervals between pregnancies, a first pregnancy before age 27 may also increase the risk of osteoporosis.

They didn't find a difference in osteoporosis risk between women who waited two to three years between pregnancies and women who had a gap of more than five years. Hence, Esroy suggested that women should wait two years before planning another child.

Source-ANI