Study: Abortion Adds to Risk of Premature Birth; 44 Percent More Likely to Give Birth Prematurely

The Spero Forum website reports today (July 11, 2011) that a new study -- conducted in Great Britain -- has found women who had abortions were 33 percent more likely to have had a premature birth in their second pregnancy, compared to women who had never had an abortion.

Prof. Siladitya Bhattacharya, a gynecologist, and a team made their conclusions after comparing the second pregnancies of 170,000 women who had previously had an abortion, to 458,000 undergoing their first pregnancies.

They found those who had experienced abortions were 33 percent more likely to subsequently deliver pre-term than those who had never had an abortion.

They were also 44 percent more likely to give birth prematurely -- before 34 weeks.