Induced Abortion and Subsequent Outcome of Pregnancy in a Series of American Women

Abstract

We studied the effect of induced abortion on outcome of subsequent pregnancy in a sample of 4896 parturients in Seattle, Washington, from July, 1972, through June, 1976. We used a matched-pair analysis for 571 women with histories of prior abortions. In addition to analyses involving all women with histories of induced abortions, separate analyses were done for 97 black women and 277 primiparas. Histories of prior induced abortions were not related to low birth weight, premature delivery, stillbirth, neonatal death, miscarriage or congenital malformations in subsequent pregnancies. The termination procedure and weeks of gestation at time of termination were not related to the later occurrence of low birth weight or premature delivery. (N Engl J Med 297:1241–1245, 1977)