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  • Title: Interrelationships between anemia and fertility patterns in rural Egyptian women.
    Author: Darwish OA, El-nagar M, Eid EE, El-sherbini AF.
    Journal: Egypt Popul Fam Plann Rev; 1979; 13(1-2):1-28. PubMed ID: 12312262.
    Abstract:
    This study investigates the relation of malnutrition as indexed by hemoglobin levels and anthropometry and the fertility of Egyptian rural women. 357 married women in 2 villages in Beheira governorate, aged 15-45 were interviewed. 40.9% were in the optimum childbearing age (20-30 years); mean age was 30.5 years. Mean duration of married life was 10.96 years. The frequency distribution curve of hemoglobin of the group was shifted to the left, indicating a high prevalence of anemia. Mean body weight ranged between 62-64 kg, mean height between 158-63 cm, and mean body index between 2.31-2.85. Weight percentiles and degree of anemia shared a bimodal distribution, while the weight for height percentiles and degree of anemia showed a normal distribution with a shift to the left indicating prevalence of underweight for height. The group had an average of 3.6 previous pregnancies; the highest average was 6.7 attained at the age of 40-45 years. Mean pregnancy interval was 2.14 years; number of live births was an average of 3.27; abortion experiences on the average was 0.22; mean stillbirths was 0.07; highest average child losses was for ages 40-45, 0.75; average number of living children 2.8; and mean reproductive activity increased with increase in years of married life. Anemia tends to reduce fertility at all ages with the mean parity higher in the total normal group (3.44) than in the anemic (3.27). Mean family size was also higher in the normal (3.18) than anemic (2.7) groups. In anemic women percentages of live births was 97.7% compared with 94.4% in the normal group, pregnancy wastage was 10.1% compared to 4% in the normal group and total child losses was 11.3% compared to 10.8% in the normal group. The differences are not considered to be statistically significant. The data indicated that interaction between nutritional states, environmental conditions, and fertility performance is the major determinant of human reproduction.
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