By Liz Townsend

Doctors concerned with preventing premature birth should recognize abortion as a risk factor, according to an article in the August issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Although many studies have also confirmed the link between abortion and preterm birth, it is often overlooked for ideological rather than medical reasons.

"Care for women with prior preterm birth," the article written by Dr. Jay Iams of Ohio State University Medical Center and Dr. Vincenzo Berghella of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, details suggestions to help reduce the incidence of premature labor and delivery. Women with any history of preterm birth have a 1.5- to 2-fold increased risk for future babies to also be born early.

In addition to these increased odds, the authors explore other factors that could raise the risk. These include smoking, asymptomatic infections, and maternal race. The authors also looked at the effect of previous abortions on preterm birth odds, and found that it should be included in any determination of risk.

"A comprehensive reproductive history should record prior spontaneous abortions and elective terminations, including the gestational age and methods of termination," the authors write. "Contrary to common belief, population-based studies have found that elective pregnancy terminations in the first and second trimesters are associated with a very small but apparently real increase in the risk of subsequent spontaneous preterm birth."

The American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG), in a letter to members posted on its web site, welcomed the authors' refusal to ignore the many studies that associate abortion with future premature birth.

"There are currently 114 studies in the literature all showing a statistically significant association between induced abortion and subsequent preterm birth," the letter states. "And just about none to the contrary. Why then would this association be 'contrary to common belief?' Because the association is systematically ignored or severely downplayed by the established authorities in our country. It is not mentioned under complications of induced abortion in any ACOG [American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists] literature we know of. It is not generally taught. It is denied by default."

Accepting that abortion does impact a woman's future pregnancies would help obstetricians give comprehensive care and lead to healthy births--and give women contemplating abortion the whole truth. According to AAPLOG, "Prematurity carries certain severe risks. Preemies under 32 weeks have a Cerebral Palsy rates 55 times higher that the rates for a term baby. Ignoring the 114 studies mentioned above (the 'blind eye' approach) may not be in the best interest of women considering an induced abortion, or of their subsequent children--would you say?"