Delayed reproductive complications after induced abortion.

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.