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Abortion - Abortion symptom, treatment, causes

Synonym: Miscarriage

Abortion is the loss of pregnancy before 24 weeks gestation, and with no visible sign of life. Abortion is the extraction or expulsion of a fetus weighing less than 500 gms, or equal to 20-22 weeks gestation. (WHO) About 15% of all pregnancies suffer a miscarriage.

Abortion is one of the most common medical procedures performed in the united states each year. The term abortion is also applied, though less properly, to cases in which the child is become viable, but does not survive the delivery. Assessing the risks of induced abortion depends on a number of factors. First, there are relative health risks of induced abortion and pregnancy, which are both affected by wide variation in the quality of health services in different societies and among different socio-economic groups. There are two types of abortions. Spontaneous abortion refers to a natural biological process by which some pregnancies end. Abortion causes at least 13% of all deaths among pregnant women. Induced abortion refers to pregnancies terminated through human intervention. Medical abortion can be performed in the first 9 weeks of pregnancy. It does not involve any surgery. Abortion rates also vary depending on the stage of pregnancy and the method practiced.

Women who select a medical abortion express a slightly greater satisfaction with their route of abortion and, in the majority of cases, express a wish to choose this method again should they have another abortion. A spontaneous abortion can also be caused by accidental trauma; intentional trauma to cause miscarriage is considered induced abortion or feticide. In rare cases, abortion will be unsuccessful and pregnancy will continue. An unsuccessful abortion can result in delivery of a live infant. Some abortions are undergone as the result of societal pressures. This, termed a failed abortion, can occur only late in pregnancy. The woman will experience some bleeding for a few days after the abortion and may have pain like "period pains". Advice will be given on how to reduce the risk of infection. If bleeding or pain is severe, or she has a raised temperature or unusual vaginal discharge, she should see a doctor as soon as possible as this could mean that she has an infection which needs treatment.

What is Abortion ?

The premature ending of any process before it reaches its natural conclusion. Medically the term refers to a pregnancy finishing before the foetus is mature enough to survive. There are two main categories of abortion. Abortion is the spontaneous or induced (therapeutic) expulsion of the products of conception from the uterus before 20 weeks gestation. Up to 15% of all pregnancies and approximately 30% of first pregnancies end in spontaneous abortion (miscarriage). About 85% of miscarriages occur during the first trimester.

Spontaneous Abortion

Also called miscarriage, this happens when a pregnancy aborts without outside interference. The reason for a miscarriage is often obscure, but could be due to a defect in the foetus, placenta, uterus or cervix, or the hormones produced in early pregnancy.

Common symptoms of spontaneous abortion include severe, cramping abdominal pain that is often accompanied by vaginal bleeding. The patient may complain of passing blood clots. Care should be given to the inspection of the clots to be certain they are not fetal tissue. A clot should dissolve (or at least breakup) in water, however, fetal tissue will remain whole. Bring any expelled tissue to your physician for evaluation.

Abortion may also be caused by fever or viral infection. The symptoms of impending abortion are bleeding from the uterus and, usually, cramps in the lower abdomen, when these occur, consult a doctor without delay.

Spontaneous abortion is classified according to its progress or circumstances:

• threatened abortion, where there is bleeding from the uterus in the early or middle months of pregnancy without death of the foetus; the bleeding may settle and the pregnancy survive
• incomplete abortion, where only part of the contents has been expelled from the uterus; the remaining part causes on going bleeding, often severe, and must be removed by suction or curettage (scraping) so that bleeding will stop
• missed abortion, where the foetus has died but remains in the uterus
• habitual abortion, where spontaneous abortion occurs in three or more successive pregnancies
• septic abortion, where miscarriageis complicated by infection in the uterus. Patients usually develop high fever, and abdominal pain gets worse. Antibiotic treatment and emptying of the uterus are urgently needed to prevent SEPTI-CAEMLA ( blood-poisoning).

Induced Abortion

This is the deliberate termination of a pregnancy by removal of the foetus through the cervix by suction or curettage, by means of drugs that cause the uterus to expel an early foetus, or by bringing on premature labour so that contractions of the uterus expel the foetus and placenta. In skilled medical hands induced abortion carries minimal risk of complications, and is the safest and most commonly performed surgical procedure involving internal organs. The legal position regarding induced abortion in Australia varies from State to State. Any woman seeking a termination of pregnancy should visit her doctor, a family planning clinic or a women's health centre as early as possible for information about the procedures and services available, and the medical and legal requirements.

Cause of Abortion

. Fetal abnormality
. Multiple pregnancy
. Maternal disease and infections

Symptoms of Abortion

. Vaginal bleeding during pregnancy
. Abdominal pain.

Course and Complications of Abortion

. If the cervix is not dilated, the pregnancy can be salvaged with treatment to stop the Uterus from contracting.
. If the cervix is already dilated, loss of the pregnancy is inevitable.
. If the conceptus is only partly lost and some part of fetal tissue stays behind, this can give rise to problems that may be life-threatening.

Course of action of Abortion

. If the pregnancy can be salvaged, bed rest, drugs to stop uterine contractions and hormones to stabilize the pregnancy may be needed.

An operation to tighten the cervix may be necessary. If the pregnancy cannot be salvaged, the Uterus is evacuated of fetal tissue.

What the doctor will look for

. If the pregnancy cannot be salvaged, the conceptus must be expelled completely. This may require evacuation

. With a history of repeated abortions, the expelled fetal tissues must be tested for genetic abnormalities.

The mother's health must be restored before the next pregnancy is planned. Tests for maternal infections may be needed. Hormones may be necessary to safeguard future pregnancies.

Caution

All vaginal bleeding during pregnancy must be seen by the doctor urgently.