Effects of induced abortion on the third stage of labor in subsequent pregnancy

The aim of the study was to investigate whether the expulsion of the placenta was delayed among women who had previously undergone induced abortion by suction curettage. We studied the duration of the third stage of labor retrospectively by comparing the third stage of labor, recorded in minutes, between 76 second gravida women with previously induced abortions and 95 second para women with previously uncomplicated pregnancies. The duration of the third stage of labor was also compared among a group of primigravidas and a group of second gravidas with previously induced abortions. We excluded women with previous gynecological disorders (e.g. resulting in curettage of the uterine cavity). All patients included presented normal pregnancies and deliveries resulting in full term (greater than 37 weeks), liveborn infants. By the statistical analysis (analysis of variance and Duncan's test), it could be shown that the 3rd stage of labor lasted significantly longer among women with previously induced abortions (mean: 12 minutes), than among the other groups included in the study (mean: 9 minutes). This discrete difference in length of the third stage of labor need not indicate an altered routine for women, who give birth subsequent to an induced abortion.