Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 25, 2026
Methods for Studying Uterine Contributions to Pregnancy Establishment in an Ovariectomized Mouse Model
Published on: April 7, 2023
Mode of delivery and subsequent reproductive patterns. A national follow-up study
Caroline Fussing-Clausen1, Reynir T Geirsson, Thomas Hansen
1Department of Obstetrics, Rigshospitalet University Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Objective:
To investigate associations between mode of delivery and subsequent reproductive outcomes.
Design:
Cohort study.
Population:
Women with term singleton live births from 1987 to 2009.
Setting:
Denmark, birth registration data.
Methods:
Women with a first singleton delivery after 37 weeks were followed until the end of 2010, from a first birth to include subsequent live births. We used Cox's proportional hazards model stratified by parity to compare the likelihood for subsequent delivery according to mode of delivery at first and later births, estimating maternal age effects and lag time to next delivery.
Main Outcome Measure:
Likelihood of a subsequent live-born child by previous delivery mode.
Results:
We identified 642,052 women with a first delivery. Compared with women with a non-instrumental vaginal delivery, delivering a child by elective cesarean section implied a 23% (95% CI 0.76-0.787) decreased likelihood for subsequent delivery. Emergency cesarean section meant 16% fewer (95% CI 0.84-0.85), and vaginal instrumental delivery 4% fewer subsequent deliveries (95% CI 0.95-0.96). Hazard ratios were largely unchanged after controlling for parity and year of birth. Small age-trends were seen, with hazard ratios affected by maternal age at birth. Delivery mode at first birth affected marginally the time lag until next birth.
Conclusions:
Fecundity, measured as likelihood of a successive live-born child, varied with mode of delivery at the first and also subsequent births. A first or later delivery by cesarean section implied decreased likelihood of subsequent delivery compared with women with a first vaginal birth.
Related Concept Videos
01:38Fertilization
01:21Intrauterine Drug Delivery Systems
01:29Life Histories
01:31Overview of the Reproductive System
The gonads, or primary reproductive organs, produce gametes and sex hormones. In males, the testes produce spermatozoa and testosterone, which is responsible for developing secondary male sex characteristics, including a deeper voice, larger muscles, facial and body...
00:51Energy Budgets
02:27Background and Environment Affect Phenotype
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...