Dilatation and curettage procedure raises risk of premature birth in subsequent pregnancies, study finds

Use of dilatation and curettage in cases of miscarriage or for termination increases the risk of preterm birth and very preterm birth (under 32 weeks) in a subsequent pregnancy, a large analysis has found. The study’s lead author has called for a more “restrained use” of the procedure in favour of medical interventions.

The analysis of 21 cohort studies included almost two million women and was presented at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Lisbon on 14-17 June. It found that use of dilatation and curettage in cases of miscarriage …