Pregnancy loss managed by cervical dilatation and curettage increases the risk of spontaneous preterm birth

STUDY QUESTION Do women with a previous miscarriage or termination of pregnancy have an increased risk of spontaneous preterm birth and is this related to previous cervical dilatation and curettage? SUMMARY ANSWER A single previous pregnancy loss (termination or miscarriage) managed by cervical dilatation and curettage is associated with a greater risk of SpPTB. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Miscarriage affects ∼20% of pregnancies and as many as a further 20% of pregnancies undergo termination. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION We utilized data from 5575 healthy nulliparous women with singleton pregnancies recruited to the Screening for Pregnancy Endpoints (SCOPE) study, a prospective cohort study performed between November 2004 and January 2011. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS The primary outcome was spontaneous preterm birth (defined as spontaneous preterm labour or preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) resulting in preterm birth