Fertility intentions and the way they change following birth- a prospective longitudinal study

Abstract Introduction: Women's fertility intentions, their desired number of children and desired inter-pregnancy interval (IPI) are related to micro (personal) and macro (socio-cultural) level factors. We investigated factors that contribute to changes in women's fertility intentions in Israel, a developed country with high birth rates. Methods: Pregnant women (N=1163), recruited from prenatal clinics and hospitals in two major metropolitan areas, completed self-report questionnaires prenatally (≥24 weeks gestation) and postpartum (two months after childbirth). Women reported their socio-demographic background and obstetric history prenatally, their desired number of children and IPI at both time-points, and their objective and subjective birth experiences postpartum. Results: The findings indicated that background characteristics were related to prenatal fertility intentions. The strongest contributor to prenatal fertility intentions was degree of religiosity- the more religious women were, the more children they desired and the shorter their desired IPI. Women's postpartum fertility intentions were mostly consistent with their prenatal reports. In regression models, only being very-religious, more educated, and previously giving birth were protective against a decrease in desired number of children from before birth to after birth. Greater birth satisfaction and giving birth for the first time were protective of changing desired IPI. Conclusion: Having a negative birth experience could adversely affect women's fertility intentions, but in a pronatalist and medicalized birth culture, social pressures may decrease the effects of birth experiences on fertility intentions. Keywords: Fertility Intentions; Birth Experience; Religiosity; Interpregnancy Interval; Mode of Delivery.