Determinants of Marriage to First Birth Interval in Birjand, Iran: A Retrospective-Prospective Cohort and Survival Analysis

Objectives: The time-interval between marriage and first childbirth (IMF) can affect fertility and pave the way for decreased fertility in future. This study aimed to determine the effective factors on the time of first childbirth in married women of Birjand, Iran. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective and prospective cohort study incorporating a total of 180 couples from Birjand who were married in 2011. The data were collected by a checklist and subsequently assessed using survival analysis in STATA13 software. Results: From among the participants, 55.2% had a child and the rest were censored. The man’s age at the time of marriage, the interval between marriage contract to marriage ceremony, type of marriage, wife’s place of birth, application of modern methods of contraception, family income per month, and tendency to have a son were the determining factors affecting IMF. Conclusions: More than half of the freshmen admitted to universities across the country are women who will seek employment after they are graduated. Considerations must be made so that they can have their desired number of children, suitable education, and employment.