Swedish maternal mortality in the 19th century by different definitions: previous stillbirths but not multiparity risk factor for maternal death

ANDERSSON, TOBIAS; BERGSTRÖM, STAFFAN; Högberg, Ulf

doi:10.1080/j.1600-0412.2000.079008679.x

Cited by 4 publications

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“…It is therefore not surprising that the higher mortality of mothers of twins was mainly due to reduced resistance to tuberculosis, and, to a lesser extent, pneumonia, both of which are known to be the leading infectious causes of morbidity and mortality in the elderly, even in modern day societies (41,42). Although mortality from tuberculosis within a year of giving birth has been previously found to be elevated in historical populations (33), our results provide evidence that such effects may also have persisted in the long run if the delivery produced twins.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Accelerated immunosenescence in preindustrial twin mothers

Helle

Lummaa

Jokela

2004

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Life-history theory predicts a tradeoff between reproductive effort and lifespan. It has been suggested that this tradeoff is a result of reproductive costs accelerating senescence of the immune system, leading to earlier death. Longevity costs of reproduction are suggested for some human populations, but whether high reproductive effort leads to impaired immune function is unknown. We examined how reproductive effort affected postreproductive survival and the probability of dying of an infectious disease in women born in preindustrial Finland between 1702 and 1859. We found that mothers delivering twins had reduced postreproductive survival after age 65. This effect arose because mothers of twins had a higher probability of succumbing to an infectious disease (mainly tuberculosis) than mothers delivering singletons. The risk among mothers of twins of dying of an infectious disease was further elevated if mothers had started reproducing early. In contrast, neither female postreproductive survival nor the risk of succumbing to an infectious disease was influenced by the total number of offspring produced. Our results provide evidence of a long-term survival cost of twinning in humans and indicate that the mechanism mediating this cost might have been accelerated immunosenescence.immune function ͉ cost of reproduction ͉ longevity ͉ reproductive effort ͉ tuberculosis

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…This allowed us to study the relationship between reproductive effort and the likelihood of dying of an infectious disease (33). Mothers were divided into categories based on whether they died of an infectious disease or of some other common stated cause of death (Table 2).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accelerated immunosenescence in preindustrial twin mothers

Helle

Lummaa

Jokela

2004

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…It has sometimes been estimated for historical populations (Högberg 1985;Imhof 1986;Knodel 1986;Schofield 1986;Henry 1987;Cortes-Majo et al 1990;Humphries 1991;Wrigley et al 1997;Andersson et al 2000). In historical estimation, one is usually obliged to rely on a temporal definition, since death or burial records for past populations seldom contain reliable clinical diagnoses.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Kinship structures and survival: Maternal mortality on the Croatian–Bosnian border 1750–1898

Hammel

Gullickson

2004

Population Studies

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“…Maternal mortality continues to be one of the leading causes of death in women of reproductive age, with global estimates of *200 to 400 deaths per 100 000-the higher incidences occurring in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and parts of the Middle East. [1][2][3][4] In the 1800s and the beginning of the 1900s, maternal mortalities were close to 1 in 100 births 2,3,[5][6][7][8] (Figure 1). These statistics accentuate the historical failure of societies for neglecting women's health and well-being.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mate Choice and the Persistence of Maternal Mortality

2019

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Maternal mortality remains one of the leading causes of death in women of reproductive age in developing countries, and a major concern in some developed countries. It is puzzling why such a condition has not been reduced in frequency, if not eliminated, in the course of evolution. Maternal mortality is a complex phenomenon caused by several physiological and physical factors. Among the physical factors, maternal mortality due to fetopelvic disproportion remains controversial. Several explanations including evolution of bipedal locomotion, rapid brain growth, and nutritional changes and life style changes in settler communities have been proposed. The influences of human reproductive biology and sexual selection have rarely been considered to explain why maternal mortality persisted through human evolution. We entertain the hypothesis that irrespective of the causes, the risks of all factors causing maternal mortality would be aggravated by disassortative mating, specifically male preference for younger females who are generally small statured and at higher risk of obstetric complications. Maternal mortality arising due to sexual selection and mate choice would have the long-term effect of driving widowers toward younger women, often resulting in "child marriage," which still remains a significant cause of maternal mortality globally. Evolutionarily, such a male driven mating system in polygamous human populations would have prolonged the persistence of maternal mortality despite selection acting against it. The effects may extend beyond maternal mortality because male-mate choice driven maternal mortality would reduce average reproductive life spans of women, thus influencing the evolution of menopause.

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Swedish maternal mortality in the 19th century by different definitions: previous stillbirths but not multiparity risk factor for maternal death

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Accelerated immunosenescence in preindustrial twin mothers

Accelerated immunosenescence in preindustrial twin mothers

Kinship structures and survival: Maternal mortality on the Croatian–Bosnian border 1750–1898

Mate Choice and the Persistence of Maternal Mortality

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