Abstract
Objective
The objective was to compare the risks of preterm birth, low birth weight, small for
gestational age (SGA) infants and placental complications in subsequent pregnancy
after second vs. first trimester medical termination of pregnancy (MTOP) in primigravid
women.
Study Design
A total of 88,522 women who underwent termination of pregnancy during 2000–2009 were
identified using Finnish health registers. Of them, primigravid women who underwent
MTOP and had subsequent pregnancy ending in live birth up to the end of 2009 (n=3843) were included in the study. The incidences and risks of preterm birth, low birth
weight, SGA infants and placental complications after first- (n=3427) vs. second-trimester MTOP (n=416) were compared.
Results
Differences between the study groups in the incidences of preterm birth (3.9% in both
groups), low birth weight (3.9% in the second- vs. 3.2% in the first-trimester group),
SGA infants (2.4% vs. 2.5%) and placental complications (1.9% vs. 2.6%) were statistically
insignificant. Second-trimester MTOP was associated with similar risks of preterm
birth, low birth weight, SGA infants and placental complications compared with first-trimester
MTOP after adjustment for background characteristics. After second-trimester MTOP,
51.2% of women underwent surgical evacuation, and 4.3% were diagnosed with infection.
The differences in the risks of preterm birth, low birth weight, SGA infants and placental
complications were statistically insignificant between women with vs. without these
complications following second-trimester MTOP.
Conclusions
Second-trimester MTOP among primigravid women did not increase the risks of preterm
birth, low birth weight, SGA infants or placental complications in subsequent pregnancy
compared with first-trimester MTOP.
Implications
The present study suggests that medical termination of pregnancy in primigravid women
during second vs. first trimester does not increase the risks of adverse outcomes
in subsequent pregnancy and delivery. The data are of value when counseling women
undergoing second-trimester TOP.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 07, 2013
Accepted:
October 29,
2013
Received in revised form:
October 25,
2013
Received:
August 21,
2013
Footnotes
☆Financial support from Helsinki University Central Hospital Research Funds and Oulu University Hospital Research Funds are gratefully acknowledged.
☆☆A disclosure statement: The authors report no conflicts of interest.
Identification
Copyright
© 2014 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
