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Summary
A renowned Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Prof. Oladipo Ladipo, warned against multiple pregnancies, especially fifth and sixth pregnancies. He noted that this endangers women’s lives during childbirth, particularly leading to hypertension and death.
Professor Oladipo Ladipo, a renowned Obstetrician and Gynaecologist who also doubled as one of the co-founders of the Association for Reproductive and Family Health, a leading NGO in Nigeria, warned Nigerian women of the high risk of complications and death associated with fifth and sixth pregnancies.
In 2024, the World Bank reported that Nigeria accounted for 20% of maternal and child mortality globally, spotlighting that the country’s maternal deaths are among the highest in the world. Among the various factors that cause this preventable death are complications from delivery, lack of access to adequate healthcare, postpartum haemorrhage, poverty, lack of qualified health professionals, access to a well-equipped health centre and others.
Speaking with PUNCH Healthwise, the health expert explained that fifth and sixth pregnancies increase the risk of complications and death for women. Also, multiple pregnancies not spaced, pregnancies before the age of 18, and pregnancies above 35 years are associated with major health complications, especially hypertension.
He estimated that 25% of Nigerian pregnant women are at high risk of complications due to too many pregnancies. Citing Mayo Clinic, the health expert highlighted that sometimes a high-risk pregnancy is the result of a medical condition present before pregnancy, or a medical condition that develops during pregnancy for either the mother or child, causing the pregnancy to be high-risk. Thus, a woman and her baby might be at increased risk of health problems before, during, and after delivery. Special monitoring or care throughout pregnancy should never be overlooked, he added.
He further advised women to space their children between two and a half years or three years, both parents should be content with a maximum of four children, and no child should be discriminated against because of their gender. He also called for the abolition of child marriage and encouraged the girls to pursue education rather than starting a family early, before the age of 18.
