title: Loop electrosurgical excision procedure of the cervix and time of delivery in subsequent pregnancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effect of the loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) on gestational age at delivery in the subsequent pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Identification of women with LEEP. Chart analysis and inquiry into gestational age at the subsequent delivery. Exclusion of first trimester abortions, multiple gestations, cold knife conizations and women over 40 years during LEEP. For comparison, 40 weeks was used as the mean date of delivery in a normal population. Wilcoxon signed rank test was used and P<0.05 was considered significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-six women delivered after LEEP. Seven delivered preterm of whom three were induced and one had a history of preterm delivery. Deliveries prior to 32 weeks of gestation did not occur. Mean gestational age at delivery was 39 2/7 weeks (95%CI: 38 5/7-39 6/7) which is significantly earlier (P=0.03) than the hypothetical 40 weeks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  After LEEP, deliveries prior to 32 weeks did not occur. Gestational age at delivery was only 5 days earlier than expected. LEEP cannot be considered a risk for early preterm delivery.
authors.affiliation: Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Althuisius
authors.forename: I J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Schornagel
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Dekker
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: van Geijn
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hummel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004598:Electrosurgery / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007752:Obstetric Labor, Premature / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011336:Probability; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*