Published online in Human Reproduction, a new report by researchers at the National Institute for Health and Welfare in Helsinki has uncovered that abortions may be a big contributor in first preterm birth or low birth weight of infants.

The study had enrolled women who had had abortions once or more times. It revealed that women were likely to conceive their first child before 28 weeks gestation if they had prior induced abortions. And shockingly, those who had it more than three times were more likely to give birth before 37 weeks only.

However, several earlier studies had also linked induced abortions to greater risk of preterm birth. But, some other studies’ findings on the contrary proved the same as disbelief. Nonetheless, the new study is evident-based, which has found that possibilities for very preterm birth i. e. less than 28 weeks had increased in women who had induced three or more abortions when they were conceiving for the first time.

The same had gone up to 2.78 (95% CI 1.48 to 5.24) from 1.19 when one induced abortion was noted (95% CI 0.98 to 1.44). Thus, Reija Klemetti, PhD, suggested, “Healthcare professionals should be informed about the potential risks of repeat induced abortions on infant outcomes in subsequent pregnancy”.