Uncontrolled fertility and Its Impact on the health of mothers and children

This session starts by highlighting the issue of uncontrolled fertility and its effect on the health of mothers and children.

As a result, fertility is often higher in developing countries than in the advanced ones, which means that women living in poorer countries, like Ethiopia, tend to have more children in their lifetime. It is estimated that, on average, African women have 5.6 live births during their reproductive period, and the average number of live births per Ethiopian Woman is currently 4.8. This average varies across rural and urban areas of the country. For instance, the fertility rate is as low as 1.4 in Addis Ababa, while it is as high as 5.4 in the Oromia Region.

• From your experience, what do you think are contributing factors for having too many children?
• Some of the factors that contribute to high fertility are early marriage, low literacy, and limited use of family planning methods, religious and cultural influences.

High parity restricts women's educational and economic opportunities, thereby limiting their potential for empowerment broadly, as well as their ability to safeguard the health and economic well-being of the family and community as a whole.

Low educational attainment further perpetuates high fertility, as these women tend to have less knowledge of and access to FP options. Unwanted pregnancy also contributes to unsafe abortion. A study suggests that up to 78 percent of unwanted pregnancies were attributable to contraceptive non-use, incorrect use, or method failure. And finally, high fertility also affects the well-being of mothers and their children. Maternal mortality and morbidity are strongly associated with high parity and early childbearing.