For Immediate Release:	May 15, 2006
For More Information:	Taroub Harb Faramand, Extending Service Delivery Project, Pathfinder International, tfaramand@esdproj.org, 202-775-1977
Sponsor Organization:	Pathfinder International
“Women around the world have the right to know about the health benefits of birth spacing.” Says Dr. Taroub Harb Faramand, Director of the Extending Service Delivery Project.
Washington, D.C. May 15, 2006 – The Extending Service Delivery (ESD) Project, a leading proponent of reproductive health, supports the following evidence-based public health recommendation for women around the world: for the best outcomes for newborns, infants, children, and mothers, women and couples should wait at least 24 months after a birth before attempting to conceive again, but not longer than five years. The vast majority of women will need to use a family planning method for 24 months or more in order to achieve adequate and healthy spacing between births. Following the publication of a recent article describing a study on birth spacing in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Conde-Agudelo et al. “Birth Spacing and Risk of Adverse Perinatal Outcomes” JAMA, April 19, 2006, Vol. 295, No. 15), there was a flurry of news coverage about birth spacing. Some of the media stories reflected confusion about birth spacing. The JAMA study described the effects of birth spacing exclusively on newborns during the first few days of life (during the perinatal period) rather than when they are older. The review of the evidence presented in the study showed that when mothers wait at least 18 months after a delivery before becoming pregnant again, they lower the risk that their newborns are born too soon, too small, or of low birth weight. Other research, focused on birth spacing and mortality risks for under age-five children, has shown that even wider spacing between pregnancies—24 months or more—may reduce risks to the child not only during the first few days of life, but also during infancy and up to 5 years of age. Furthermore, birth spacing has positive health benefits for mothers. The recommendation to wait at least 24 months after a birth before attempting a pregnancy is part of a larger United States Agency for International Development (USAID), strategy to support the Healthy Timing and Spacing of Pregnancies. USAID, which sponsored the study in JAMA and related research, is providing support to ESD. ESD is designed to address unmet need for family planning and to increase the use of reproductive health (RH) and family planning (FP) services at the community level -- especially among underserved populations -- in order to improve health and socioeconomic development. To accomplish its mission, ESD strengthens global learning and application of best practices; increases access to community-level RH/FP services; and improves capacity for supporting and sustaining RH/FP services. ESD works closely with USAID missions to devise tailored strategies that meet the RH/FP service delivery needs of specific countries. A five-year Leader with Associate Cooperative Agreement, ESD is managed by Pathfinder International in partnership with Management Sciences for Health, IntraHealth International, Meridian Group International, Inc., and the International Centre for Migration and Health.