HAVING a miscarriage or abortion can significantly raise a woman's chance of having a premature or low-weight baby in the future, research suggested yesterday.
The study found that women who had miscarried or had an abortion were three times more likely than other mothers to go on to have a low birthweight baby.
And the more abortions or miscarriages a woman had, the greater her chance of subsequently ha
ving a premature or small baby.
The researchers, from Virginia Commonwealth University in the United States, said women and doctors should be aware of the increased risks following miscarriage or abortion.
The researchers looked at more than 45,500 mothers and their children. They found a strong link between miscarriage and abortion and an early or underweight birth, even when they took into account other risk factors such as smoking and alcohol abuse.
Having one miscarriage or abortion raised a woman's chance of giving birth to an underweight child almost threefold.
Women who had undergone two miscarriages or abortions had a fivefold risk, and those with three or more had a ninefold increased risk.
The study found that women who had had one miscarriage or abortion were 67 per cent more likely to have a premature birth.
Those with three or more were over three times more likely to have an early baby compared to women who had not had abortions or miscarriages.
The researchers, writing in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, said some other studies had found that abortion and miscarriage had no effect on later births, but other research had indicated a significantly increased risk.
The researchers said: "Previous abortion is a significant risk-factor for low birthweight and pre-term birth, and the risk increases with the increasing number of previous abortions."
They added: "Women and healthcare professionals should be informed of this potential risk."
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) said the findings needed to be backed up with further research in a UK setting.
"Previous studies have reported a link between an induced abortion with subsequent pre-term birth but more research on the risks of abortion with low birthweight and term low birthweight is required," a spokeswoman said.
"There have been seven studies published since 2002 into abortion and low birthweight/pre-term labour and all reveal inconclusive results.
"Over the past 15 years, newer and safer medical methods of abortion have been introduced in clinical practice, and conclusions drawn from studies using historical data need to be interpreted carefully."
The RCOG said guidelines stated that women should be provided with information about the risks of an abortion before giving consent.
EXPOSURE TO SMOKE IN INFANCY 'RAISES ALLERGY RISK'BABIES exposed to second-hand smoke are at a higher risk of developing allergies, new research suggests.
Those who breathed in such smoke in early infancy were almost twice as likely to be allergic to certain substances, the study led by the Institute of Environmental Medicine, in Stockholm, Sweden, found.
More than 4,000 families were questioned about their children's allergies.
They were asked about the environmental factors to which the child had been exposed before and after birth, including parental smoking, animal hair and dead skin and certain foodstuffs.
A blood sample was taken from more than 2,500 children at the age of four to look for immunoglobulin E (IgE) – an antibody released in the immune system to fight off an allergen.
High levels of IgE indicate a sensitivity to an allergen.
The authors concluded that children exposed to second-hand smoke early in life were almost twice as likely to be allergic to inhaled allergens, as those who had not been exposed, and almost 50 per cent more likely to have an allergy to foods.
The full article contains 632 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
