Late abortion ups pregnancy termination risk
Women who have an abortion in the second trimester of pregnancy are more likely than women who terminate their pregnancies earlier to have repeat abortions.
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Women who have an abortion in the second trimester of pregnancy are more likely than women who terminate their pregnancies earlier to have repeat abortions.
Abortion is still very common around the world even though birth control options have improved in recent years. Late termination of pregnancy means abortion at 13 weeks of gestation or later. The further along a woman is in her pregnancy the more risky it is to terminate the pregnancy. Late termination of pregnancy represents 5 to 10 percent of all abortions and literature reveals that about 30 to 47 percent of women who have an abortion will have another later on.
Several studies have shown that the later the abortion is performed, the higher the risk of complications. To better understand factors associated with repeat abortion, as well as risk factors for having an abortion after the first trimester, researchers studied 41,750 women in Finland who underwent termination of pregnancy during the first (39,850) and second (1900) trimester between 2000 and 2005.
It was found that women who initially have a late abortion are substantially more likely to have a second late abortion. Also being younger than 20 years sharply increased a woman's risk of having repeat abortions, and of having repeat late abortions.
Compared with women who had first trimester abortions, those who had second-trimester abortions were 40 percent more likely to have had a second abortion by the end of 2006, while they were nearly four times as likely to have a second late abortion, and five times as likely to have an abortion after 16 weeks' gestation.
And women younger than 20 years old were seven times as likely as older women to have repeat abortions, and more than 12 times as likely to have a second abortion during their second trimester of pregnancy.
The researchers suggested that the best strategy to help at-risk women is avoid having repeat abortions by counseling and making free, long-acting reversible methods of contraception easily available.
Abortion is still very common around the world even though birth control options have improved in recent years. Late termination of pregnancy means abortion at 13 weeks of gestation or later. The further along a woman is in her pregnancy the more risky it is to terminate the pregnancy. Late termination of pregnancy represents 5 to 10 percent of all abortions and literature reveals that about 30 to 47 percent of women who have an abortion will have another later on.
Several studies have shown that the later the abortion is performed, the higher the risk of complications. To better understand factors associated with repeat abortion, as well as risk factors for having an abortion after the first trimester, researchers studied 41,750 women in Finland who underwent termination of pregnancy during the first (39,850) and second (1900) trimester between 2000 and 2005.
It was found that women who initially have a late abortion are substantially more likely to have a second late abortion. Also being younger than 20 years sharply increased a woman's risk of having repeat abortions, and of having repeat late abortions.
Compared with women who had first trimester abortions, those who had second-trimester abortions were 40 percent more likely to have had a second abortion by the end of 2006, while they were nearly four times as likely to have a second late abortion, and five times as likely to have an abortion after 16 weeks' gestation.
And women younger than 20 years old were seven times as likely as older women to have repeat abortions, and more than 12 times as likely to have a second abortion during their second trimester of pregnancy.
The researchers suggested that the best strategy to help at-risk women is avoid having repeat abortions by counseling and making free, long-acting reversible methods of contraception easily available.
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