See what an abortion and recovery history can and cannot tell you about future fertility, alongside a separately labelled observed unadjusted PRESTO cohort benchmark.
- Fever above 100.4 degrees F (38 degrees C) or chills
- Severe or worsening pain that is not improving
- Bleeding that soaks two maxi-pads per hour for two hours
- Fainting or feeling faint
- Foul-smelling vaginal discharge
- Flu-like symptoms lasting more than 24 hours
Abortion-history effect
Evidence-based abortion adjustment
Observed unadjusted PRESTO cohort benchmark
Seek urgent medical care now
Recovery and return to fertility
When to get individual advice
- Age
- Abortion history
- Complication route
- Known fertility factors
- Trying status
What this result does not measure
- It does not diagnose infertility, scarring, tubal damage, infection, ovulation, or pregnancy complications.
- It does not turn abortion count or type into a percentage penalty.
- The observed unadjusted PRESTO cohort benchmark is cumulative positive pregnancy from the start of trying, not live birth and not the next 6 or 12 cycles after time already tried. Do not use its descriptive bands to compare ages; the study adjusted analysis found that fecundability declined with age.
- Partner age, BMI, work hours, smoking, and alcohol are not numerically adjusted.
- Miscarriage management and future-pregnancy outcomes are outside this model.
This educational assessment is not medical advice and should not delay urgent care or an individual fertility evaluation.
Methodology and sources
The calculator screens current symptoms and completion first. A diagnosed fertility-relevant complication or unresolved recovery concern routes to individual review and suppresses the cohort benchmark. A known fertility factor also recommends individual evaluation. Abortion type and count are not converted into a numerical fertility adjustment.
The observed unadjusted PRESTO cohort benchmark uses published life-table cumulative positive-pregnancy proportions, sample sizes, and 95% confidence intervals from the PRESTO North American preconception cohort: 2,962 US and Canadian pregnancy planners ages 21 to 45, without a history of infertility, trying for no more than three cycles at entry, and not using fertility treatment. These are cumulative values from the start of trying, not live-birth rates and not chances for the next 6 or 12 cycles after time already tried. The age 40 to 45 row included only 38 participants and has wide confidence intervals. Do not use these descriptive bands to compare ages: the study adjusted analysis found that fecundability declined with age.
WHO post-abortion guidance supports the warning that ovulation can return before the first period. ASRM fertility-evaluation guidance supplies the age/time-trying thresholds and the route for known fertility factors.
A prospective cohort study of induced abortion and subsequent fertility did not find an important difference in later fertility. It does not supply a personal type-specific or count-specific coefficient, so it is not proof that every individual’s effect is exactly zero. See also ACOG: Abortion Care.
Key sources
Frequently asked questions
Does abortion automatically reduce future fertility?
Formal-care abortion has not been shown to increase infertility. Type and count alone do not supply a validated percentage coefficient. A diagnosed infection, pelvic inflammatory disease, uterine injury, or another fertility-relevant concern needs individual assessment.
Why does the result not say the effect is exactly 0%?
The evidence does not support subtracting a fixed percentage because of abortion type or count alone, but it also cannot prove exactly zero effect for every person. The calculator therefore gives a nonnumeric evidence boundary.
What is the observed unadjusted PRESTO cohort benchmark?
It is the cumulative proportion of participants in one PRESTO age band who reported a positive pregnancy from the start of trying by 6 or 12 cycles. It is not a live-birth rate, not a personal post-abortion probability, and must not be used to compare ages; the study adjusted analysis found that fecundability declined with age.
When is the PRESTO benchmark hidden?
It is not shown when current warning symptoms, uncertain completion, or a diagnosed fertility-relevant complication or unresolved recovery concern makes individual care the priority.