Women With Abortion History at Increased Risk of Delivering Very Preterm in Subsequent Pregnancies, Study Says

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 01 May 2005 - 0:00 PDT

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Women with a history of induced abortion have a higher risk of delivering very prematurely in subsequent pregnancies than women who have never had an abortion, according to a study published in the April issue of the... British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Reuters Health reports. Dr. Caroline Moreau of the Epidemiological Research Unit on Perinatal and Women's Health at the Hopital de Bicetre in France and colleagues examined records for 1,943 very preterm infants born before 33 weeks gestation, 276 moderately preterm infants born between 33 and 34 weeks gestation and 618 full-term infants born between 39 and 40 weeks gestation. Women who reported having had at least one induced abortion had a 50% higher risk of having a very preterm delivery than women who had never had an abortion. In addition, women who reported having previous abortions had a 70% higher risk of delivering an infant before 28 weeks gestation, compared with women who had never had an abortion. The researchers said that previous abortion was associated with an increased risk of very preterm delivery because premature rupture of the membranes, unexplained spontaneous preterm labor and bleeding unassociated with maternal hypertension, according to Reuters Health. However, the researchers found no association between previous abortion and very preterm delivery because of maternal hypertension. The researchers concluded that induced abortion "increases the risk of preterm births, particularly extremely preterm deliveries," but they said more research is needed "to assess the differences in the level of risk according to the technique used for abortion" (Douglas, Reuters Health, 4/27).

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