Just One Miscarriage or Abortion Increases Complications in Future Pregnancy By 30%

A new study has found that women who had even a single interrupted pregnancy were about 30% more likely to have complications during a full-term pregnancy, including induced labor, C-section delivery and complications with the placenta. The study analyzed more than 15,000 mothers who delivered babies at Rabin Medical Center in Israel.

"It is important to emphasize that a single pregnancy loss is a very common event during a woman’s reproductive years. In most cases it has no effect on future fertility or pregnancy outcome," says lead researcher Dr. Liran Hiersch at Tel Aviv University.  

Researchers say this study was the first to look at a mother’s fertility history backward from the time she delivered a baby.

Women who had several abortions or miscarriages are known to have a higher risk of complications in future pregnancies. These new findings are intended to help OB-GYNs decide what precautions to recommend to women whose pregnancies may have previously been considered low-risk. 

"We hope this study will be incorporated in the usual risk assessments. Doctors should know there is another element to factor in when assisting a woman before labor," says Hiersch.

Common risks during pregnancy for women who had experienced a miscarriage or abortion:

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• bleeding during early pregnancy
• preterm birth
• low fetal birth weight
• placenta-related complications

Source-Medindia