Researchers have unveiled the time limit to respect before trying to have a child after an abortion or a miscarriage. This waiting time is less than that recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
- In France, 200,000 people experience a natural termination of pregnancy each year.
- In France, the legal deadline for a medical abortion is up to 7 weeks of pregnancy, or 9 weeks after the start of the last menstrual period.
- Instrumental abortion (by dilation of the cervix and aspiration of the contents of the uterus) can be performed until the end of the 14th week of pregnancy, ie 16 weeks after the first day of the last menstrual period.
Six months. This is the number of months one should wait to procreate after a miscarriage or abortion to reduce the risk of adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes, according to theWorld Health Organization (WHO). “Intervals of less than six months between abortion and subsequent pregnancy have been associated with elevated risks of premature rupture of membranes, anemia and hemorrhage, preterm and very preterm birth, and low birth weight , compared to longer intervals”, can we read in his report.
72,765 births analyzed after miscarriage or abortion
Recently, scientists from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (Norway) and Curtin University (Australia) revealed that it is not necessary to wait six months before getting pregnant again after natural pregnancy termination or abortion. . To reach this conclusion, they carried out work published in the journal Plos One.
In this study, researchers examined the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes (premature birth, birth of a low birth weight baby, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes) as a function of waiting time for births following miscarriage or abortion. To carry out their study, the team analyzed data from 49,058 births after miscarriage and 23,707 births after abortion, recorded in Norway between 2008 and 2016. The authors looked for any association with a complication during pregnancy. next.
Miscarriage or abortion: “at least six weeks” before becoming pregnant again
Depending on the results, women can try for a baby “shortly after” miscarriage or abortion without running a higher risk of complications. “Our results are reassuring. (…) You can have your children whenever you want, but there are caveats. First, it takes at least some time to recover from the previous pregnancy. person to person, but if I had to choose a deadline, it would be at least six weeks”, explained, to GuardianGizachew A. Tessema, research author.
According to the researchers, leaving a small interval between two pregnancies gives less time for any underlying infection or inflammation to resolve. “Anyone affected should consult a general practitioner or obstetrician when planning a pregnancy. (…) Based on this study and others, we call for a review of existing WHO recommendations regarding the spacing of pregnancies after a natural termination of pregnancy or an abortion”, said Gizachew A. Tessema.
