Delayed reproductive complications after induced abortion

Abstract

An investigation was undertaken regarding subsequent pregnancy in 619 women who had their preceding pregnancy terminated by legal abortion, compared with an age- and parity-matched group of 619 women who continued with the pregnancy to delivery. The groups were compared for complications such as first and second trimester abortion, cervical incompetence, pre-term delivery, ectopic pregnancy and sterility. The total complication rate was 24.3 per cent in the abortion group, and 20.2 per cent in the controls. No significant difference was found between the two groups for any of the parameters examined, except for a significantly higher rate of complications amongst women who had not had a previous delivery: 25.5 per cent as opposed to 13.2 per cent in the control group.

PIP: A study was undertaken to compare the outcome of a pregnancy subsequent to an induced abortion with a pregnancy subsequent to a delivery. The study was aimed at answering the question as to whether a woman who chooses an induced abortion runs a greater risk with respect to her next pregnancy than a woman who delivers normally. 619 women who aborted were compared with a sample of women matched for both age and parity who had continued with the pregnancy to delivery. Complications in the next pregnancy which were studied are: 1st- and 2nd-trimester miscarriages, cervical incompetence, premature delivery, ectopic pregnancy, and infertility. The total complication rate for the abortion group was 24.3%, and 20.2% for the control group; this difference was not significant. There were 9.1% of early spontaneous abortions in the abortion group and only 3.6% in the control group. Most of the other late complications were slightly, but not significantly, more frequent in the abortion group than in the control group. The only significant finding was a much higher complication rate among aborters who had never delivered previously. It is concluded that, except for the nulliparous woman, induced abortion carries no risk as to the next pregnancy.