Comparison of reproductive outcomes following retained products of conception after vaginal delivery versus first-trimester abortion

Objective: To compare the reproductive outcomes of women with pathologically confirmed retained products of conception (RPOC) following spontaneous vaginal delivery versus first-trimester pregnancy termination. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all cases of women who underwent uterine re-evacuation due to pathologically confirmed RPOC between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2010. Reproductive outcomes were compared between women with RPOC following spontaneous vaginal delivery and those who underwent dilatation and curettage (D&C) due to first-trimester abortion. Results: The study group consisted of 176 patients with pathologically confirmed RPOC. Of those, 83 (47.1%) were admitted after spontaneous vaginal delivery and 93 (52.9%) following D&C due to first-trimester abortion. There were no significant differences in the conception rate, the mean time to conception and the rate of a new infertility problem between women with RPOC after vaginal delivery compared to those following pregnancy termination (p > 0.05). Furthermore, there were no significant differences between the groups in pregnancy outcomes following RPOC. Conclusion: Pathologically confirmed RPOC harbors the same reproductive outcomes following spontaneous vaginal delivery and first-trimester pregnancy termination.