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The more abortions a woman has before her first child, the more likely she is to give birth prematurely, a study has suggested. Data from all 300,858 first-time mothers in Finland between 1996 and 2008 was analysed. The study showed women were three times more likely to have a very premature baby, born before 28 weeks, if they had had three or more abortions. The report was published in the journal Human Reproduction. The overall risk was still low, the study suggested. Being born too soon is linked to higher risks of infection, hypothermia and death.