Uutta tietoa abortin vaikutuksista seuraaviin raskauksiin
MSc (Health Sciences) Situ KC väitteli Tampereen yliopistossa 18.10.2023. Aiheena oli raskauden keskeytys ja sen vaikutus seuraaviin raskauksiin. Aineistona hyödynnettiin kansallista syntyneiden lasten rekisteriä ja raskaudenkeskeyttämisrekisteriä. Vastaväittäjänä toimi professori Oskari Heikinheimo Helsingin yliopistosta ja kustoksena professori Suvi Virtanen Tampereen yliopistosta.
Termination of pregnancy is a common gynaecological procedure performed among women and globally, a large number of pregnancy terminations are performed every year. Mostly, women undergoing termination of pregnancy are in the beginning of their reproductive life and they wish to have children in future. In her doctoral dissertation, Situ KC investigated the effects of previous termination of pregnancy on subsequent birth outcomes, particularly the preterm birth, low birth weight, small for gestational age and perinatal death; and also examined the factors influencing repeat termination of pregnancy using national register-based data in Finland.
Situ KC’s dissertation is the most extensive study to date on the possible effects of abortion on future births as regards the method, number, and gestational age at the induced termination of pregnancy. In this study, all first-time mothers with a singleton birth in the period of 1996–2013 (n= 419,87) were included using the linked dataset of the Finnish Medical Birth Register and Finnish Register on Induced Abortions. To investigate factors affecting the likelihood of repeat terminations of pregnancy, the study used data that included all women who had had an abortion in 1987–2015 (n=193,741) from the Finnish Register on Induced Abortions.
A higher risk for preterm birth and low birth weight were found among mothers who had had a surgical termination of pregnancy compared to mothers with a prior medical abortion. When analysed by the gestational age (timing) at the termination of pregnancy, women having a late abortion had a significantly higher risk of an extremely preterm birth and very low birth weight in consequent births compared to women with an early termination of pregnancy.
The study found older age, being married, rural or semiurban residency and the use of reliable methods of contraception to be factors that protected from repeat terminations of pregnancy. However, having already had a baby was found to be a risk factor for repeat abortions.
“The surgical termination of pregnancy and having it performed at a later gestational age is associated with a higher risk of adverse birth outcomes. Proper counselling should be provided to women who are seeking termination services on the possible adverse birth outcomes in later life and the effects of repeat abortions. Using contraception, especially long-acting reversible contraception, should be highly encouraged as it would help to reduce the number of repeat terminations,” KC says.
Photograph: Trailokya Ojha
Tekstikooste: Katja Kosonen