INDUCED ABORTION AND PREMATURE BIRTH, especially extreme (22-28 wk) premature birth.
"ACOG continues to deny there is credible literature validating this association (see 06 Compendium, see ACOG Brief on the Ayotte Supreme Court Case).
"And the March of Dimes, in their major initiative to find the causes of the preterm birth 'epidemic', fails to even mention the word 'abortion' in their poignant radio ads on the topic, or on their website entries discussing this major problem.
"As a refresher, remember that the Australian data base of 250,000 births showed a 60% increase in extreme premature birth after one abortion (mostly suction curettage), and a 150% increase after 2 abortions, 460% increase after 3 abortions, and 800% increase after 4 or more abortions.
"Over 50 studies show such an association, with "dose relationship."
One would think ACOG and MOD would suggest looking into the association.
"Since the Australians and Europeans have, in fact, looked into it, and come up with a strong association, we can legitimately ask whether extreme prematurity (22-28 wk) is a problem worth our attention (and worth an informed consent discussion with the patient.)
"The following is taken from a letter by Brent Rooney, Canadian medical literature researcher, found in European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology 2001;96:239-240:
In their excellent review of CP (Cerebral Palsy) history, Schifrin and
Longo end with the words, 'We need to let the truth take us where it
will.'(1)
"This letter assumes that there is the courage to do exactly that. Although the etiology of CP has many uncertainties, preterm birth and incompetent cervix are considered to be risk factors.(2)
"A preterm new-born is much more likely to be Very Low Birth Weight (VLBW: birth weight under 1500 grams) than a full-term newborn.
"A Swedish study of 19 year-old boys reported fifty-five times the normal risk of CP for boys with VLBW (95% CI 40.8-75.2).(3) From a 1991 CP-VLBW meta-analysis: 'If one assumes the incidence of cerebral palsy in the general population to be 2/1000 live births …. then the relative risk for cerebral palsy among surviving VLBW infants would be 38 TIMES THAT IN THE GENERAL POPULATION.' 4)
"There are at least seventeen (17) (Ed. Note: that was in 2001. Now over 50) studies that have found that previous induced abortions increase preterm birth risk.(8-24) The latest of these studies reported on 61,000 Danish women and is one of the largest studies ever linking "terminations" to later prematurity.(9)
"The relative risk of a very preterm birth (before 34 weeks' gestation) for Danish women with one previous induced abortion is 1.99. The relative risk of a pre-term birth for women with two previous "evacuation" type abortions is 12.55.(5)
"The RR for one previous 'evacuation' abortion is 2.27.(5)
"Why the silence about the abortion- prematurity risk and cerebral palsy from medical researchers?
"Let's have the courage to explore this credible risk with the definite possibility that what is learned may help reduce the cerebral palsy rate and the heartache that it causes the affected infants and parents.
AAPLOG note: "With the marked increase in extreme preterm birth (VLBW), which in itself gives rise to a marked increase in Cerebral Palsy, one would think the American medical minds would be interested in exploring this problem. Privacy issues can be easily circumvented by encoding SS numbers. But in the American system, we don't even have a data base for most abortions, as they are done in free standing clinics, for cash, and there is essentially no long term follow-up. What an enlightened system-based on premeditated blindness and political correctness-and called, by the establishment, 'reproductive health
care'."
FYI: following are references for Brent Rooney's letter in the European journal:
References
1 Schifrin BS, Longo LD. William John Little and
cerebral palsy A reappraisal. European J
Obstetrics & Gynecology 2000;90:139-144
2 Gersh ES. Children with Cerebral Palsy: a parent's
guide / edited by Elaine Geralis. 1998; chapter 1:
page 14 [Bethesda, Maryland: Woodbine House; ISBN
0933149824]
3 Ericson A, Kallen B. Very low birthweight boys
at 19. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 1998;78
:F171-F174
4 Escobar GJ, Littenberg B, Petitti DB. Outcome
among surviving very low birthweight infants; a
meta-analysis. Arch Dis Child 1991;66:204-211
5 Luke B, Every Pregnant Woman's Guide to
Preventing Premature Birth (1995, pp. 32-33)
6 Muhlemann K, Germain M, Krohn M. Does an
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7 Daling JR, Krohn MA, Miscarriage or Termination
in the Immediately Preceding Pregnancy
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in the Following Pregnancy. American J Epi
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8 Lumley J. The association between prior spon-
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Prenat Neonat Med 1998;3:21-24.
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10 Pickering RM, Forbes J. Risk of preterm delivery
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g
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Sharp PC, Wells HB, Buescher PA. A Comparison of
Risk Assessment Models for Term and Preterm Low
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12 Berkowitz GS. An Epidemiologic Study of Preterm
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13 Lieberman E, Ryan KJ, Monson RR, Schoenbaum SC.
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16 Shiono PH, Lebanoff MA. Ethnic Differences
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17 Pantelakis SN, Papadimitriou GC, Doxiadis SA.
Influence of induced and spontaneous abortions
on the outcome of subsequent pregnancies. Amer
J Obstet Gynecol. 1973;116:799-805
18 Van Der Slikke JW, Treffers PE. Influence of
induced abortion on gestational duration in
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19 Richardson JA, Dixon G. Effect of legal termin-
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20 Pickering RM, Deeks JJ. Risks of Delivery during
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Epidemiology 1991;20:456-466
21 Koller O, Eikhom SN. Late Sequelae of Induced
Abortion in Primigravidae. Acta Obstet Gynecol
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22 Papaevangelou G, Vrettos AS, Papadatos D, Alexiou
C. The Effect of Spontaneous and Induced Abortion
on Prematurity and Birthweight. The J Obstetrics
and Gynaecology of the British Commonwealth. May
1973;80:418-422
23 Bognar Z, Czeizel A. Mortality and Morbidity
Associated with Legal Abortions in Hungary, 1960-
1973. AJPH 1976;66:568-575
24 Martius JA, Steck T, Oehler MK, Wulf K-H. Risk
factors associated with preterm (<37+0 weeks) and
early preterm (<32+0 weeks): univariate and multi-
variate analysis of 106 345 singleton births from
1994 statewide perinatal survey of Bavaira.
European J Obstetrics & Gynecology Reproductive
Biology 1998;80:183-189
[May 26, 2006, AAPLOG]