Can we identify women at risk of more than one termination of pregnancy?
One in five women will have more than one abortion in her lifetime. This study was designed to identify risk factors in women requesting termination of pregnancy (TOP) after previous TOPs so that women at risk of recurrence, attending for the first time, could be identified. A retrospective case note review of 358 women undergoing TOP during October and November 2000 was performed. Twenty-six percent of women had had a previous TOP. Women undergoing a second or subsequent therapeutic abortion were more likely to be older and have experienced more pregnancies to full term, but these two factors were confounded. When women were both parous and deprived, the risk of them having had more than one TOP was over 50%.
St John
Hanny
H
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust, Little France, EH16 4SA Edinburgh, UK. hannystockman@btinternet.com
Critchley
Hilary
H
Glasier
Anna
A
D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003281:Contraceptives, Postcoital; D005193:Family Planning Services; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009042:Motivation; D011247:Pregnancy; D037841:Pregnant People / Q000523:psychology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
D003281:Contraceptives, Postcoital