Reproductive performance following midtrimester termination of pregnancy

The aim of the study was to determine the impact of mid-trimester abortion with extra-amniotic PGE(2) on future fertility and reproduction. Two hundred and fifteen women were enrolled. The mean induction-to-abortion interval was 21.3 h. The complication rate was 11.7%. Twenty women (9.3%) were lost to follow-up, 82 patients (38.1%) used contraception. Spontaneous pregnancy occurred in 110 out of 113 women who desired fertility (97%). Three patients were defined as infertile but conceived following treatment. The average time between the abortion and the next conception was 15.9 months (range 1-77 months). Seventy patients (63.7%) delivered at term. Premature delivery occurred in 18 patients (16.4%). Eighteen women aborted spontaneously in the first and 3 in the second trimester. One extrauterine pregnancy occurred. Second-trimester abortion with extra-amniotic PGE(2) is a safe procedure with a low rate of complication. Apparently it does not affect future fertility, but may be associated with an increased rate of premature deliveries in future gestations. Copyright (C) 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel.