Denied abortions could lead to long-term health issues for women, study finds

Anuja Vaidya -

Women seeking abortion, who are denied, may face worse long-term health consequences than women who receive abortions, according to a study published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Researchers conducted the study at 30 U.S. abortion facilities from 2008 to 2010. Of 1,132 women seeking abortion who agreed to participate, researchers included 874 in this analysis — 328 who had first-trimester abortion, 383 who had second-trimester abortion and 163 who did not receive an abortion and gave birth.

At the five-year follow-up, 27 percent of women who gave birth reported fair or poor health compared with 20 percent who underwent an abortion during their first trimester and 21 percent of women who had a second-trimester abortion.

Women who gave birth also reported more chronic headaches and joint pain, and 9.4 percent reported experiencing gestational hypertension. However, women who gave birth experienced similar levels of other types of chronic pain and obesity as the women who underwent abortions.

Researchers also found no significant differences in self-reported health or chronic pain between the women who underwent an abortion during their first trimester compared to women who had abortions in their second trimester.

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