Here’s Why Gynaecologist, Professor Oladipo Ladipo Is Warning Women Against Fifth Pregnancy
Renowned Obstetrician and Gynaecologist with over 40 years of experience in healthcare delivery and development work, Professor Oladipo Ladipo, has advised women to have three or four children.
The expert further warned that fifth and sixth pregnancies are associated with a high risk of complications and death.
Ladipo, who is the Co-founder of the Association for Reproductive and Family Health, a leading not-for-profit organisation in Nigeria into sexual and reproductive health and rights, said 25 per cent of Nigerian pregnant women are at high risk of complications owing to too many pregnancies.
The fertility expert who spoke with PUNCH Healthwise said too many pregnancies, that is, having more than four children, is associated with a high risk of death. He said:
“Having too many pregnancies too closely spaced is not the best. Pregnancies should be spaced between two and a half years or three.
“Pregnancy before the age of 18 and pregnancies above the age of 35 years is associated with major complications, especially hypertension.”
Mayo Clinic says sometimes a high-risk pregnancy is the result of a medical condition present before pregnancy.
“In other cases, a medical condition that develops during pregnancy for either you or your baby causes a pregnancy to become high risk. If you have a high-risk pregnancy, you or your baby might be at increased risk of health problems before, during, or after delivery.
“Typically, special monitoring or care throughout pregnancy is needed. Understand the risk factors for a high-risk pregnancy, and what you can do to take care of yourself and your baby”,
Mayo Clinic said.
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The Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria in 2022 raised the alarm over the high rate of maternal death in the country, lamenting that Nigeria is far from achieving the Sustainable Development Goal target of reducing the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births.
SOGON said Nigeria’s maternal mortality rate was still among the highest in the world, with an estimated 512 deaths per 100,000 live births citing the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey 2018.
Ladipo called for the abolition of child marriage while encouraging girls to go to school to guard against starting reproduction before the age of 18.
The gynaecologist advised women and men to be content with having three or a maximum of four children irrespective of gender or sex.
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He, however, frowned at the discrimination between female and male children in Nigeria.
“Every child should be a wanted child, every child is indeed a gift from God and they all have the potential to contribute to the overall development of the nation if given the opportunity.
Why would a woman be looking for a male or female child just because she had four children of the same sex? She should be content with four daughters or sons because the next pregnancy may be the last she will have, she may die of fifth or sixth pregnancies,”
Ladipo warned.