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What is the possible health issue the women would face in this record?

The record for most children born to a single couple belongs to the first wife of Feodor Vassilyev of Russia. In 27 pregnancies between 1725 and 1765 she gave birth to 16 pairs of twins, 7 sets of triplets, and 4 sets of quadruplets for a grand total of 69 children.

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  • $\begingroup$ Just as a hint so you can go look yourself, the medical term for having more than 6 children is "grand multiparity", or a "grand multiparous" woman, or a "grand multipara". $\endgroup$
    – swbarnes2
    Dec 23, 2015 at 20:21

2 Answers 2

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A common problem for any woman who has experienced pregnancy and childbirth is damage to the levator ani muscle, which comprises a portion of the "pelvic floor."

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from here

This can cause a number of symptoms, including urinary incontinence (due to an increase in pressure on the bladder from less effective muscular support), and possible prolapse of the bladder, uterus, or rectum into the vagina, again due to the weakening of the pelvic floor.

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One health risk from going through multiple pregnancies is the risk of a uterine prolapse, also called a prolapsed uterus. The weakening of ligaments basically leads to the cervix and uterus "sagging". In the most severe cases, the uterus ends up in the vagina.

Parity and obesity were strongly associated with increased risk for uterine prolapse, cystocele, and rectocele.

Pelvic organ prolapse in the women's health initiative: Gravity and gravidity

Parity in this context is the number of pregnancies that led to a viable gestational age (pregnancies excluding miscarriages)

Uterine prolapse makes subsequent pregnancies high-risk and can lead to fetal and maternal problems.

The general risk of anything happening increases due to going through multiple pregnancies in a short time span, though. Without sufficient recovery between pregnancies, women are at a higher risk of placental abruptions and placenta previa. For the baby, this leads to a higher risk of premature birth with the associated issues of low birth weight and small size.

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