Effect of the interpregnancy interval after an abortion on maternal and perinatal health in Latin America

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the length of the interval between an abortion and the next pregnancy is associated with increased risks of adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes in Latin America. METHOD: Retrospective cross-sectional study using information from 258,108 women delivering singleton infants and whose previous pregnancy resulted in abortion recorded in the Perinatal Information System database of the Latin American Centre for Perinatology and Human Development, Montevideo, Uruguay, between 1985 and 2002. Adjusted odds ratios were obtained through logistic regression analysis. RESULT: Compared with the post-abortion interpregnancy intervals of 18 to 23 months, intervals shorter than 6 months were significantly associated with increased risks of maternal anemia, premature rupture of membranes, low birth weight, very low birth weight, preterm delivery, and very preterm delivery. CONCLUSION: In Latin America, post-abortion interpregnancy intervals shorter than 6 months are independently associated with increased risks of adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes in the next pregnancy. DEFINITION: Post-abortion interpregnancy interval (PAII): the time elapsed between the day of the abortion and the first day of the last menstrual period for the index pregnancy.