Reproductive performance following midtrimester termination of pregnancy

The aim of the study was to determine the impact of midtrimester abortion with extra-amniotic PGE₂ on future fertility and reproduction. Two hundred and fifteen women were enrolled. The mean induction-to-abortion interval was 21.3 h. The complication rate was 11.7%. Twenty women (9.3%) were lost to follow-up, 82 patients (38.1%) used contraception. Spontaneous pregnancy occurred in 110 out of 113 women who desired fertility (97%). Three patients were defined as infertile but conceived following treatment. The average time between the abortion and the next conception was 15.9 months (range 1-77 months). Seventy patients (63.7%) delivered at term. Premature delivery occurred in 18 patients (16.4%). Eighteen women aborted spontaneously in the first and 3 in the second trimester. One extrauterine pregnancy occurred. Second-trimester abortion with extra-amniotic PGE₂ is a safe procedure with a low rate of complication. Apparently it does not affect future fertility, but may be associated with an increased rate of premature deliveries in future gestations.