The physiological effect of infant mortality in reproductive behavior in the Sudan

The present study examines the physiological effect of infant mortality on reproductive behavior for the Sudan using retrospective pregnancy history data for ever-married women, 15–49. The investigation has revealed that the death of an infant reduces the subsequent birth interval significantly, by about 6 months. This difference in the length of birth interval appears to be primarily a result of the interruption of lactation. When the birth intervals are examined by the fate of the two preceding children, the analysis shows insufficient evidence to indicate that infant mortality affects the length of birth intervals independently of the physiological effect.