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( ONTRACEPllON
AND
hEPRODUCIION
Health Consequences
for Women and Children
in the Developing World
Working Group on the Health Consequences of
Contraceptive Use and Controlled Fertility
Committee on Population
Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education
National Research Council
NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Washington, D.C. 1989
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NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS · 2101 Constitution Avenue, NTV · Washington, DC 20418
NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Goveming Board of the
National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of
Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the
committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for
appropriate balance.
This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures
approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of
Sciences, the National Academy of Engineenng, and the Institute of Medicine.
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distin-
guished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of
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government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Frank Press is president of the National
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The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to
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Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 89-63004
International Standard Book Number 0-30904094-9
Additional copies of this report are available from:
National Academy Press
2101 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20418
Printed in the United States of America
S028
First Printing, August 1989
Second Printing, May 1990
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Working Group on the Health Consequences of
Contraceptive Use and Controlled Fertility
WILLIAM FOEGE (Chair), Carter Presidential Center, Atlanta, Ga.
JULIE DaVANZO (Cochair), Economics and Statistics Department,
The RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, Calif.
JOHN BONGAARTS, The Population Council, New York
RONALD GRAY, Deparunent of Population Dynamics, Johns Hopkins
University
JOHN E. KNODEL, Population Studies Center, University of Michigan
JORGE MARTINEZ-MANAUTOU, Family Planning Services, Mexican
Institute of Social Security
ANNE R. PEBLEY, Office of Population Research, Princeton University
ALLAN G. ROSENFIELD, School of Public Health, Columbia University
BRUCE V. STADEL, Epidemiology Branch, Food and Drug Administration,
Rockville, Md.
PETER ]. DONALDSON, Study Director
ALLAN M. PARNELL, Research Associate
SUSAN M. ROGERS, Research Associate
DIANE L. GOLDMAN, Administrative Assistant
· . .
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Committee on Population
ALBERT I. HERMALIN (Chair), Population Studies Center, University of
Michigan
FRANCISCO ALBA, E1 Colegio de Mexico, Mexico City
DAVID E. BELL, Center for Population Research, Harvard University
JULIE DaVANZO, Economics and Statistics Department, The RAND
Corporation, Santa Monica, Calif.
MAHMOUD F. FATHALLA, World Health Organization, Geneva
RONALD FREEDMAN (NAS), Population Studies Center, University of
Michigan
KENNETH H. HILL, Department of Population Dynamics, Johns Hopkins
University
WILLIAM N. HUBBARD, '}R., Hickory Comers, Mich.
CHARLES B. KEELY, Department of Demography, Georgetown University
JAMES E. PHILLIPS, The Population Council, New York
T. PAUL SCHULTZ, Department of Economics, Yale University
SUSAN SCRIMSHAW, School of Public Health, University of California,
Los Angeles
JAMES TRUSSELL, Office of Population Research, Princeton University
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Preface
This report is one of a series of studies that have been carried out under the
auspices of the Committee on Population to examine the consequences of changes
in demographic behavior, particularly as they influence the lives of people in the
developing world. In 1986 a working group of the committee released a landmark
study of the consequences of population growth for the economic development of
the Third World. This report concentrates on what many analysts regard as an
equally important aspect of the demographic behavior of couples in developing
countries, namely, the health consequences of different patterns of childbearing
and contraceptive use.
This report focuses on the health effects for mothers and their children of
changes in the timing of pregnancies, the interval between them, and the number
of children women have. In addition, it provides an overview of what is known
about the health risks and benefits of different contraceptive methods used in the
developing world. Throughout, the report focuses on the consequences that
changes in the number and spacing of pregnancies and the ages of childbearing
would have on the health of individual women and children, their families, and
the larger population. This report and the research on which it is based deal
almost entirely with the situation in the developing world, in counties that are
characterized by low per capita income and limited health services.
On the basis of a comprehensive review of the available evidence, the working
group concludes that reproductive patterns exercise an important influence on the
health of women and children. Moreover, the working group believes that a series
of public policy measures related to reproduction could be undertaken that would
improve the health of mothers and children in developing countries. In the view
· —
V11
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· · ~
Vlll PREFACE
of the working group, improving the performance of family planning programs
may have significant effects on the health of women and children.
We have written this report for a scientific audience. It will probably be most
congenial and most useful to researchers actively involved in studies of the
relationship between reproduction and health in developing countries. In addi-
tion, we hope that the report will be useful to others: to policy makers who may
be concerned about the possible utility of family planning programs as a health
intervention, as well as to students, both in the United States and throughout the
developing world, who are interested in the relationship between health and
reproduction, whether they are in research-oriented programs or in training in
public health or clinical service. Although the report is undeniably technical in
orientation and approach, we have attempted, through the executive summary, the
glossary, and the style of presentation throughout, to make it accessible to a wide
audience.
In carrying out its study, the working group commissioned experts in the field
to prepare background papers. These papers, which are listed in the appendix,
deal with specific topics related to health and fertility, and they contributed
significantly to this report. A volume containing the papers of greatest interest
will be published separately later this year.
The committee and the working group very much appreciate the efforts of
those who prepared these background papers. The paper by Susan Zimicki
provided a basis for Chapter 3. The paper by Nancy Lee, Herbert Peterson, and
Susan Cho provided a basis for Chapter 4. The paper by John Haaga provided the
basis for parts of Chapter 5. Chapter 6 is an expanded version of a draft initially
prepared by James McCarthy. The other background papers were also influential
in the working group's deliberations and in the drafting of this report.
The Working Group on Health Consequences of Contraceptive Use and Con-
trolled Fertility met six times to discuss the background papers, to review the
relevant scientific literature and other studies of similar topics that were under
way or recently completed, and to discuss and review the various drafts of this
report. In addition, working group member Anne Pebley spent much of the
summer of 1988 working full-time on this report at the Committee on Popula-
tion's offices. Each member of the working group also participated in several
smaller, less formal meetings during which specific aspects of the report were
reviewed.
The Committee on Population undertook this study at the request of the
Agency for International Development (AID), which asked for an authoritative
assessment of the health consequences of the changing patterns of fertility and the
increasing use of modern contraceptives that have been taking place in develop-
ing countries as an aid in designing its program of assistance to developing
countries. The Rockefeller Foundation also provided significant support for this
project through a grant to the Committee on Population; the Rockefeller Founda-
tion support allowed considerable flexibility in preparing the report and facilitated
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PREFACE iX
wide dissemination by making possible translations of the report into Spanish and
French. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation also provided support for the
working group through a grant to the Committee on Population.
The committee and the working group appreciate the work provided by Peter
J. Donaldson, study director, and Susan M. Rogers, research associate. Special
thanks are also due Allan McMillan Parnell, research associate, who had principal
responsibility for coordinating the preparation of this report. Laurence Grummer-
Strawn, who served as a research assistant to the working group during the
summer of 1988, also made important contributions to the report. Jeremiah
Sullivan and Ann Way, of the Demographic and Health Surveys, provided some
of the data used in Chapter 6. Michael Koenig provided data on infant and
maternal mortality from Bangladesh. Carol Bradford skillfully prepared all
figures in the report. Sivaporn Pokpong, a student at the University of Michigan,
Audrey Vanden Heuvel, a student at the University of Norm Carolina, Irma Elo, a
student at Princeton University, and Lisa Brecker all assisted in compilation of
materials and preparation of tables. The committee and the working group
especially appreciate the help received from Christine L. McShane, editor of the
Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education.
The working group responsible for this report was composed of a carefully
selected, balanced group of experts with backgrounds in both medical and social
sciences. The Committee on Population is very grateful to the members of this
group for their hard work, and particularly to William Foege and Julie DaVanzo,
who served as chair and cochair, respectively, and to Anne Pebley, whose concen-
trated effort contributed greatly to the report.
ALBERT I. BRMALIN, Chair
Committee on Population
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Contents
Executive Summary
1 In~oduction....................
The Demographic Context, 6
Family Planning in Developing Countries, 9
Organization of the Report, 11
, . . —
Hypotheses about Reproductive Patterns and
Women's and Children's Hearth ...................
Direct Effects of Reproductive Patterns on Health, 13
Indirect Effects of Reproductive Patterns on Health, 20
Other Possible,Explanations, 21
Available Evidence, 22
Reproductive Patterns and Women's Health
Sources of Evidence, 26
Effects of Young Maternal Age and Primiparity, 29
Effects of Older Maternal Age, High Parity, or Both, 30
Effects of Short Intervals Between Births, 31
Effects of Pregnancy in Increasing Mortality From
Other Conditions, 31
Effects of Unsafe Induced Abortion, 32
Conclusion, 32
X1
5
12
.... 25
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Xii CONTENTS
4 Contraceptive Benefits and Risks
Oral Contraceptives, 37
Intrauterine Devices, 43
Barrier Methods, 45
Long-Acting Contraceptives, 46
Sterilization, 48
Traditional Methods, 50
Dimensions of New Research, 51
5 Reproductive Patterns and Children's Health . .
Sources of Evidence, 55
Effects of Being Firstborn and Young Maternal Age, 58
Effects of High Birth Order and Older Maternal Age, 61
Effects of Short Birth Intervals, 61
Effects of Unwanted Pregnancy, 65
Effects of Maternal Health Conditions, 66
Minimizing the Risks of Child Death, 67
Changes in Reproductive Patterns ..........
Fertility Declines and Birth Order Distribution, 78
Maternal Ages at Childbearing, 79
Spacing of Births, 82
Contraceptive Use and Induced Abortion, 86
Effects of Changes in Reproductive Patterns on
Mortality Rates, 87
Conclusion, 88
7 Conclusions...........
Reproductive Patterns and Women's Health: Risks for
Individual Women, 91
Reproductive Risks and Children's Health: Risks for
Individual Children, 93
Aggregate-level Effects, 94
Indirect Effects of Reproductive Change on the
Health of Women and Children, 96
Family Planning and the Health of Women and Children, 97
References .
Appendix: Background Papers
Glossary
36
53
76
90
99
... 113
.... 115