Abortion - is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo before it is viable. It may be spontaneous or induced.The technique chosen to terminate pregnancy depends on the stage of pregnancy and the policies of the institution and patient needs.
It is rare for a fetus to survive if it weighs less than 500 g, or if the pregnancy is terminated before 20 weeks of gestation. These factors are, however, difficult to determine with a high degree of accuracy while the fetus is still in utero; survival of the fetus delivered near the end of the second trimester often depends to a great extent on the availability of personnel and equipment capable of supporting life until the infant develops sufficiently.
It is rare for a fetus to survive if it weighs less than 500 g, or if the pregnancy is terminated before 20 weeks of gestation. These factors are, however, difficult to determine with a high degree of accuracy while the fetus is still in utero; survival of the fetus delivered near the end of the second trimester often depends to a great extent on the availability of personnel and equipment capable of supporting life until the infant develops sufficiently.
1. Spontaneous abortion
is a type of abortion that occur without medical or other intervention. About 25% of all pregnancies result in miscarriages, women older than 35 or younger than 17 years old and couples who have difficulty in achieving pregnancy; and women who have had at least two miscarriages has a higher chance of experiencing miscarriage.
A medical term for a miscarriage. Spontaneous abortion is unrelated to the lay term "abortion," which refers to the elective termination of a pregnancy. Medical texts often use the term spontaneous abortion when discussing miscarriages, as do insurance companies' medical billing codes for miscarriage treatment.
Symptoms of Miscarriage:
- A typical 10th week miscarriage is characterized by a very heavy menstrual period. A pregnant woman may experience several days of bleeding and cramps before the contents of the uterus are removed, followed by a short period of bleeding until the lining of the uterus heals.
- Miscarriage after the 12th week is like a mild version of the labor of during childbirth, with strong contractions that dilate the cervix and expel the fetus.
- Miscarriages between the 13th and 24th weeks (second trimester) are most often caused by faulty attachment of the placenta to the walls of the uterus or from a weak cervix that dilates too soon.
Medical names of the various stages of possible miscarriages:
- Threatened abortion is a condition of pregnancy, occurring before the 20th week of gestation, the patient usually experiences vaginal bleeding with or without some cramps, and the cervix is closed. Bed rest is usually the only treatment needed.
- Inevitable abortion is when the bleeding continues and becomes heavy, it usually means that the cervix is dilating and the contents of the uterus are being expelled.
- Complete abortion is when all the contents are expelled. There is no treatment other than rest is usually needed. All of the tissues that came out should be saved for examination by a doctor to make sure that the abortion is complete.
- Incomplete abortion is a name given to abortion where the uterus retains part or all of the placenta. Bleeding may occur because part of the placenta may adhere to the uterine wall and the uterus does not contract to seal the large blood vessels that feed the placenta.
- Missed abortion - is a case in which an intrauterine pregnancy is present but is no longer developing normally. Before widespread use of ultrasonography, the term missed abortion was applied to pregnancies with no uterine growth over a prolonged period of time, typically 6 weeks after its (fetus) death.
2. Induced abortion
is an abortion performed by the pregnant woman herself outside the recognized medical system. Although the term can include abortions induced through legal, over-the-counter medication, it also refers to efforts to terminate a pregnancy through alternative, often more dangerous means.
an intentional termination of pregnancy before the fetus has developed enough to live if born. From 20% to 50% of pregnancies are terminated deliberately at the request of the mother or for medical indications, during the first trimester by vacuum aspiration and/or curettage or during the second trimester by dilation and evacuation, induction of labor, or hysterotomy. Termination of pregnancy by a trained person under proper conditions is safe.
Methods for performing This kind of abortions.
Menstrual Extraction - This method is used for most abortions performed during the first trimester. It is done by suctioning out the lining of the uterus (endometrium) through a thin opening of the undilated cervix.
Dilation and Evacuation - This method is commonly used for late first trimester or early second trimester abortions. In this method suction is used to remove the fetus and placenta. The cervix is first dilated under local anesthesia using a suction tube that is firm, and a stronger suction is used than in menstrual extraction. Another way of dilating the cervix is the use of a type of dried seaweed, called laminaria.
