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  • Title: Female stress and birth seasonality in Tanzania.
    Author: Bantje HF.
    Journal: J Biosoc Sci; 1988 Apr; 20(2):195-202. PubMed ID: 3384835.
    Abstract:
    Delivery records from hospitals in Ikwiriri and Ifakara show that the number of births increases throughout the dry season (June-October) and declines throughout the rainy season (November), reaching a peak just before the rains and the lowest level at the end of the rainy season. This pattern does not correspond with the usual explanations of birth seasonality. Conceptions are most frequent at the period of highest temperature, which is contrary to the theory that predicts them to be more frequent during the dry season. The drop of the conception rate during the wet agricultural season suggests that stress on women may be the main cause of birth seasonality in Tanzania. Due to wet conditions and frequent staying on in the rice fields, exposure to malaria increases during the rainy season's latter part. The negative association of the number of births with rainfall in the months preceding conception indicates that almost half of the variation in the number of births may be due to the effects of malaria and physical exhaustion on fecundity. The remainder may be attributable to seasonal variations in pregnancy loss and sexual behavior. The absence of strong birth seasonality in nonholoendemic areas of Tanzania and the low birth rate in holoendemic areas provide further support for a critical role for malaria infection. The fact that the magnitude of seasonal variation in births increases with high parity and has decreased over the past decade results from recent changes in Tanzania's rural economy. Young people in Tanzania are progressively withdrawing from agriculture, especially when they have no children yet.
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