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The article discusses a study which compared reproduction patterns among Danish females born with isolated oral clefts (OCs) with the Danish women background population. The study indicates that childlessness level is higher in oral cleft women than those in the background population. It notes that oral cleft women are more often childless or get their first offspring later.

Introduction: The establishing of three Danish population-based registers, namely the Fertility Database, the Register of Legally Induced Abortions, and the In Vitro Fertilisation register, aimed at providing data for surveying of reproductive outcome. Content: The registers include information on births, abortions, and assisted reproduction as well as selected characteristics of the women (and men) involved. Validity and coverage: Both the validity and coverage of each register are considered of high quality. Conclusion: These registers provide, both individually and in combination, unique opportunities for undertaking detailed and comprehensive research in the field of reproduction. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Aims: The most commonly used indicator of fertility, the period total fertility rate (TFRp), tends to underestimate actual fertility when women delay childbearing. The objective of this study was to examine to which extent fluctuations in Danish fertility rates result from changes in timing of births and, thus, whether the conventional TFRpis a distorted indicator of fertility quantum. In addition, we investigated whether such changes in timing explained the observed regional differences in the TFRp in Denmark. Methods: The study applied age-, period-, county-, and parity-specific data from the Danish Fertility of Women and Couples Dataset, 1980--2001. We evaluated fluctuations in period fertility rates by the tempo-adjusted TFR' - a proposed variant of the conventional TFRp taking period changes in timing of births into account. Tempo-effects were given by the difference between TFRp and TFR', and these period measures were compared to actual cohort fertility. Results: Mean age at childbearing increased with more than 3 years over the period 1980--2001 leading to considerable differences between TFRpand TFR'. A tempo-effect of up to 0.347 children per woman was observed. Comparisons with actual cohort fertility showed consistency with the TFR'. However, tempo-adjustment did not attenuate observed regional differences. Conclusion: This study indicates that the conventional TFRp consistently underestimates the fertility quantum in periods characterized by changes in timing of births, and that the TFR' generally provides good indication of actual cohort quantum for the period in question. Considerable tempo-effects were observed within counties; however, differences between regions were not explained by changes in tuning of births. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this project was to assess whether any changes in the birth prevalence of cleft lip with/without cleft palate (CL[P]) occurred in Denmark during the period 1988 through 2001. In this period an official recommendation of a supplementation of folic acid to pregnant women was introduced; furthermore, smoking among pregnant women decreased considerably. Design and Settings: There are few places in which ecological studies of oral clefts are possible. Denmark provides a particularly good setting for this kind of study because of a high ascertainment and a centralized registration of subjects with cleft over the last 65 years. Participants: Cleft occurrence in Denmark from 1936 to 1987 has previously been reported. Here we extend the study to include all live-born children with oral clefts born in Denmark in 1988 through 2001. Among a total of 992,727 live births, 1332 children with CL(P) were born during this period. Results and Conclusions: The birth prevalence of CL(P) in Denmark has previously been found to be constant in the period 1962 through 1987, with a frequency of 1.4 to 1.5 per 1000 live births. This study showed a similar occurrence in 1988 through 2001 (birth prevalence = 1.44 per 1000 live births, 95% confidence interval = 1.37 to 1.52). The introduction of folic acid and the decrease in smoking prevalence among pregnant women do not seem to have reduced the birth prevalence. This may be due to noncompliance with the folic acid recommendation and/or only a weak causal association between folic acid and smoking and occurrence of CL(P). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This study describes women with induced abortion and thereby elucidates how living conditions and contraceptive failure are associated with the choice of induced abortion in a population of Danish pregnant women. Methods: The study population consisted of pregnant women attending Odense University Hospital. They were categorized in two groups: women with induced abortion ( n =373) and a reference group consisting of women with spontaneous abortion and antenatal care attendees ( n =2,176). The two groups were compared by use of a case-referent design. The variables studied comprise age, number of children, partner relationship, education, occupation, economical situation, and contraceptive use. Results: Being single, aged 15-24 or 35 and above, having either no children or two or more children, and the experience of contraceptive failure were parameters which were associated with the choice of induced abortion. Among married/cohabiting women aged 20-39 with fewer than two children, being under education, unemployed, on leave, or willing to invest effort in obtaining a more satisfying job influenced the choice of induced abortion. Conclusions: To reduce the number of induced abortions, it should be recognized that many women both want to establish a family with the number of children they wish for and to have a satisfying job with influence and challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been suggested in the literature that twinning rates are reduced by psychosocial stress associated with urban life. No support for this hypothesis was found in a study based upon the 5762 twins and 280158 singletons that were born in Denmark in the period 1978 to 1982. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]