OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate subsequent pregnancy outcomes in women with a previous mid-trimester (12-24 weeks) pregnancy termination by dilation and evacuation (D&E) as compared to women without a previous D&E.
METHOD:
Medical records for women who underwent a D&E between 1995 and 2003 were identified and reviewed. Women with subsequent pregnancies were compared on a 1:2 basis with women in a control group who had viable pregnancies and no previous mid-trimester DE. Outcomes of interest included preterm labor, placental abnormalities, and a composite complication outcome.
RESULTS:
Of the 317 women who underwent a D&E, 85 had viable subsequent pregnancies. These women delivered slightly earlier than the 170 controls (38.9 versus 39.5 weeks, p=0.001), although there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups with regard to birth weights, spontaneous preterm delivery, abnormal placentation, and overall complication rate.
CONCLUSIONS:
Mid-trimester termination by D&E does not increase the rate of clinically significant subsequent pregnancy complications.