Repeated Pregnancies Young Age Maternal Health Risks

Repeated pregnancies at a very young age can place significant physical and emotional strain on women, particularly when pregnancies occur with little recovery time in between. A recent case from Uttar Pradesh s Baghpat district drew attention after gynaecolog... Repeated pregnancies at a very young age can place significant physical and emotional strain on women, particularly when pregnancies occur with little recovery time in between. A recent case from Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat district drew attention after gynaecologist Dr Pragya Tomar shared a video from her clinic on Instagram. The case involved a 22-year-old woman who was five months pregnant with her sixth child. During the consultation, the woman revealed that she already had five children, four daughters and one son, and had been married as a teenager in what she described as a child marriage. In the video, the doctor questioned the husband, “How old was she when she came to your house?” He replied, “She came to my house when she was 15-16 years old.” According to the conversation, the family continued planning pregnancies partly because of the desire for more sons, with the husband reportedly saying that one son was “not enough” and that more children would mean more earning members in the future. The wife agreed that they want two sons instead of one. DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to. Always consult your health practitioner before starting any routine. Dr Tomar also highlighted that the woman was already experiencing health concerns such as dizziness and breathlessness, further stressing the importance of spacing pregnancies to protect maternal health. Questioning the social pressures tied to childbirth and family lineage, she asked whether women should be expected to compromise their health because of these expectations repeatedly. In the caption of her post, she wrote, “Is it right to endanger someone’s life in the desire for a son?” Many users reacted to the video. One user wrote: “This is a cruel world for women.” Another mentioned: “Doctor ka patience level 👏 ek ladke se kuch nai hota ?? Kitne ladke chahye to sab kuch hoga pucho inseee (One son won’t be enough? How many sons do they need for things to happen, someone ask them).” A third person pointed out, “She became a mother before becoming an adult.” The incident raises broader concerns not only about maternal health risks but also about the emotional burden women may experience when repeated pregnancies are shaped by family expectations, son preference, or limited reproductive autonomy. Dr Gaana Sreenivas, Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Bone and Birth Clinic and Rainbow Hospital, Bannerghatta Road, tells indianexpress.com, “Repeated pregnancies without adequate recovery time place significant physical and nutritional stress on a woman’s body. Pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding deplete essential nutrient stores such as iron, calcium, and folate, and the body requires time to replenish them. When pregnancies occur too close together, especially in women in their late teens or early twenties whose bodies may still be developing,