Future Reproduction

Abstract

Any discussion of reproduction after second-trimester abortion should consider that the aborted pregnancy may have been at risk of complications and/or malformations, and that future pregnancies in the same woman might be subject to the same risk factors which led her to seek a second-trimester termination of the current pregnancy. Women who abort in the first trimester represent a heterogeneous mixture of low-risk and high-risk pregnancies. Those who obtain a second-trimester abortion are generally quite different; many are avoiding immediate, potentially severe reproductive risks. Delay in diagnosis of a serious health problem such as rubella, diabetes, Down’s syndrome, etc.,usually dictates that the abortion must occur after the 12th week of pregnancy. Even abortions for nonmedical reasons in the second trimester often represent terminations of high- risk pregnancies because of sociodemographic problems such as maternal age, parity, economic status, marital status, and failure to seek care in the first trimester.