Abortion and Women's Physical Health: An Issue for All Physicians
Authors: Lisa H. Harris, Vanessa Dalton
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2019)

Editorials20 August 2019Abortion and Women's Physical Health: An Issue for All PhysiciansLisa H. Harris, MD, PhD and Vanessa Dalton, MD, MPHLisa H. Harris, MD, PhDUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (L.H.H., V.D.)Search for more papers by this author and Vanessa Dalton, MD, MPHUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (L.H.H., V.D.)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M19-1740 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail In their article, Ralph and colleagues compare long-term physical health outcomes between women who had an abortion and those who gave birth after being denied abortion care because of clinic gestational age limits (1). Like other reports from the Turnaway Study (2), these data are important because they come from the first large, prospective study of abortion outcomes that has the right comparison group: women with an undesired pregnancy who sought abortion care but ultimately gave birth when abortion was denied. These data matter to internal medicine physicians because they illustrate connections between reproductive health and overall health. Reports like ...References1. Ralph LJ, Schwarz EB, Grossman D, et al. Self-reported physical health of women who did and did not terminate pregnancy after seeking abortion services. A cohort study. Ann Intern Med. 2019;171:238-47. doi:10.7326/M18-1666 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Gerdts C, Dobkin L, Foster DG, et al. Side effects, physical health consequences, and mortality associated with abortion and birth after an unwanted pregnancy. Womens Health Issues. 2016;26:55-9. [PMID: 26576470] doi:10.1016/j.whi.2015.10.001 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Biggs MA, Upadhyay UD, McCulloch CE, et al. Women's mental health and well-being 5 years after receiving or being denied an abortion: a prospective, longitudinal cohort study. JAMA Psychiatry. 2017;74:169-78. [PMID: 27973641] doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.3478 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Foster DG, Biggs MA, Ralph L, et al. Socioeconomic outcomes of women who receive and women who are denied wanted abortions in the United States. Am J Public Health. 2018;108:407-13. [PMID: 29345993] doi:10.2105/AJPH.2017.304247 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Holman RJ, MacDonald CS, Miller PJ. U.S. Population Mortality Observations: Updated with 2016 Experience. Schaumburg, IL: Society of Actuaries; 2018. Accessed at www.soa.org/globalassets/assets/Files/resources/research-report/2018/us-population-mortality.pdf on 5 June 2019. Google Scholar6. Aztlan-James EA, McLemore M, Taylor D. Multiple unintended pregnancies in U.S. women: a systematic review. Womens Health Issues. 2017;27:407-13. [PMID: 28284587] doi:10.1016/j.whi.2017.02.002 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. Braveman PA, Cubbin C, Egerter S, et al. Socioeconomic disparities in health in the United States: what the patterns tell us. Am J Public Health. 2010;100 Suppl 1:S186-96. [PMID: 20147693] doi:10.2105/AJPH.2009.166082 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. Guttmacher Institute. State Bans on Abortion Throughout Pregnancy. New York: Guttmacher Institute; 2019. Accessed at www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/state-policies-later-abortions on 5 June 2019. Google Scholar9. MacDorman MF, Declercq E, Cabral H, et al. Recent increases in the U.S. maternal mortality rate: disentangling trends from measurement issues. Obstet Gynecol. 2016;128:447-55. [PMID: 27500333] doi:10.1097/AOG.0000000000001556 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. Admon LK, Winkelman TNA, Moniz MH, et al. Disparities in chronic conditions among women hospitalized for delivery in the United States, 2005–2014. Obstet Gynecol. 2017;130:1319-26. [PMID: 29112666] doi:10.1097/AOG.0000000000002357 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (L.H.H., V.D.)Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M19-1740.Corresponding Author: Lisa H. Harris, MD, PhD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, L4000 Women's Hospital, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48109; e-mail, [email protected]edu.Current Author Addresses: Drs. Harris and Dalton: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, L4000 Women's Hospital, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48109.This article was published at Annals.org on 11 June 2019. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoSelf-reported Physical Health of Women Who Did and Did Not Terminate Pregnancy After Seeking Abortion Services Lauren J. Ralph , Eleanor Bimla Schwarz , Daniel Grossman , and Diana Greene Foster Metrics 20 August 2019Volume 171, Issue 4Page: 287-288KeywordsBirthHealth economicsHypertensionMaternal mortalityMedical risk factorsMorbidityMortalityObstetrics and gynecologyPregnancyReproductive system ePublished: 11 June 2019 Issue Published: 20 August 2019 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2019 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...