Having multiple abortions leads to greater risk of later pregnancy complications, study shows

Women who have had three abortions face a 35 per cent increase in health complications if they go on to have a baby, according to the study by Finland’s National Institute for Health and Welfare.

The study of more than 300,000 women also showed that having three abortions also led to an increase in the risk of a baby’s death around the time of birth, and that having more than one abortion increased the likelihood of giving birth before reaching 37 weeks of pregnancy.

Study leader Dr Reija Klemetti said: “To put these risks into perspective, for every 1,000 women, three who have had no abortion will have a baby born under 28 weeks.

“This rises to four women among those who have had one abortion, six women who have had two abortions, and 11 women who have had three or more.

“Our results suggest that induced abortions before the first birth, particularly three or more abortions, are associated with a marginally increased risk during the first birth.

“However, the increased risk is very small, particularly after only one or even two abortions, and women should not be alarmed by our findings.”

The study, in the journal Human Reproduction, also showed an increased risk of a baby’s death around the time of birth, but the researchers say this could be because of social factors such as poverty. Around 12,000 abortions are carried out in Scotland every year.