Practice Guideline 11: A Detailed Examination of the Data on Surgical Abortion and Preterm Birth

Overwhelming evidence from 168 studies over fifty years points to a clear dose-response relationship between surgical abortion and subsequent preterm birth. The 2018 National Academy of Sciences report considered only five of these 168 studies and represents a biased sample that underreports a significant association between surgical abortion and subsequent preterm birth. The purpose of this document is to review the quality of the data on this effect, review the size of this effect, and portray an accurate assessment of the data to improve informed consent prior to surgical abortion.