According to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics it has been suggested that closely spaced pregnancies, less than 36 months apart, could increase risk of developing autism for the second born child.
Though further study is required to validate these claims, there is reason to give at least some credence to it, what is essentially a logical sounding claim; that this risk of autism is seen to be highest when there is less than a 12 month gap between 2 children.
One explanation offered is that as a result of the first pregnancy, there could be a depletion of nutrients in the mother; folate and iron may be insufficient and stress levels may be high if sufficient amount of time is not allowed to elapse after the first delivery.
The womb environment may also not have recovered adequately to fully support a second pregnancy so soon thereafter, say the researchers.
With the incidence of autism seen to be rising in recent times, this could be a significant factor that, if proved to hold true, may actually help lower autism rates by the simple expedient of spacing pregnancies further apart.
