Practice Guideline 5: The Association between Surgical Abortion and Preterm Birth: An Overview

Evidence in peer-reviewed literature from 168 studies over fifty years points to a causal, dose-response relationship between surgical abortion and subsequent preterm birth. This document provides an overview of this literature, discusses mechanisms for this effect, demonstrates the strength of evidence for causality, and offers guidance for informed consent prior to surgical abortion. This document does not provide detailed statistical analysis or a high-resolution assessment of the quality of studies on surgical abortion and preterm birth (covered in Practice Guideline 11).