To reduce the high rate of maternal mortality in Nigeria, a fertility expert, Prof. Oladipo Ladipo, has cautioned women against having more than four children, revealing that fifth and sixth pregnancies are associated with a high risk of complications and death.
Ladipo, who is President/Chief Executive Officer of the Association for Reproductive and Family Health, said 25 per cent of Nigerian pregnant women were at high risk, owing to many pregnancies.
According to him, too many pregnancies, that is, having more than four children, expose women to the risk of death.
“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 are associated with major complications, especially hypertension,” he said.
Nigeria still ranks highest among sub-Saharan African nations with high maternal deaths. Available record shows that Nigeria contributes 15 per cent of global maternal deaths. According to the World Bank estimates, Nigeria’s Maternal Mortality Rate is still as high as 821 per 100,000 live
births.
However, Ladipo called for the abolition of child marriage and encouraged girls to go to school to guard against starting reproduction before age 18. The CEO advised women to be contented with having three or, maximum, four children.
He, however, frowned at the discrimination between female and male children in Nigeria, adding that male children were prized more than the female.
According to him, every child should be a wanted child; every child is indeed a gift from God and they all have a potential to contribute to the overall development of the nation if given the opportunity. He wondered why a woman would be looking for a male or female child just because she had four children of same sex.
