Very low birth-weight (less than 1,500 g) and previous induced abortion: Victoria 1982-1983.

In Victoria, previous termination of pregnancy is a risk factor for giving birth to a very low birth-weight infant (less than 1,500 g)--the risk of giving birth to an infant less than 1,000 g is increased more than 2.5-fold by a prior induced abortion and more than 3.5-fold by 2 or more prior abortions. However, more than 97% of women with a prior termination gave birth to infants weighing more than 1,500 g. Subsequent very preterm delivery appears to be a real but rare complication of induced abortion, responsible for about 9% of very low birth-weight infants in 1982-1983.