Complication rate after termination of pregnancy for fetal defects

To assess the risk of complications in women undergoing termination of pregnancy (TOP) for fetal defects and to examine the impact of gestational age on the complication rate.

This was a retrospective study of women with a singleton pregnancy undergoing TOP at the University Hospital of Tübingen, Germany, between 2018 and 2021. TOP was performed by experienced operators according to the national protocol; dilatation and curettage (D&C) or evacuation (D&E) was used in the first and early second trimesters and induction was used later in pregnancy. The following were considered to be significant procedure-related complications: blood loss of more than 500 mL, uterine perforation, need for blood transfusion, allergic reaction, creation of a false passage (via falsa), systemic infection, readmission to hospital, any unplanned surgical procedure, such as repeat D&C/D&E or hysterectomy, and maternal death.

The search of the hospital database identified 416 pregnancies that met the study criteria. Median maternal and gestational age at termination were 34.1 years and 17.4 weeks, respectively. In the first, second and third trimesters, respectively, 84 (20.2%), 278 (66.8%) and 54 (13.0%) pregnancies were terminated, for which D&C or D&E was used in 80 (95.2%), 21 (7.6%) and 0 (0.0%) cases. Seventy-seven (18.5%) women had at least one previous Cesarean section and 169 (40.6%) had at least one previous spontaneous delivery. Overall, 95 (22.8%) women had complications during or after TOP. A significantly higher complication rate was noted for terminations performed later in pregnancy. The median gestational age at termination was 16.6 weeks in women who did not experience complications and 20.7 weeks in those with complications (P < 0.001). The respective complication rates in the first, second and third trimesters were 6.0%, 27.0% and 27.8%.

In women undergoing TOP for fetal defects, the risk of complications increases with advancing gestational age. © 2023 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.