abortion
the removal of an EMBRYO or FOETUS from the UTERUS , either by natural expulsion or by human intervention,before it is considered to be viable at the 24th week of PREGNANCY . An abortion may be spontaneous, and this is commonest during the first three months of pregnancy and is thought to be most often associated with abnormalities in the foetus. Or an abortion may be induced, when it is also described as therapeutic, or termination of pregnancy, and is carried out for medical or social reasons. Unless the mother's life is at risk,UK legislation requires a therapeutic abortion to be carried out before 24 weeks' gestation. A threatened abortion occurs when the foetus has died, the abortion is referred to as inevitable. An incomplete abortion describes the situation where some of the foetal material is left behind in the uterus. Habitual abortion is where a woman loses each foetus in three consecutive pregnancies before the 20th week. The foetus weighs less than 500grams, and an abnormality in the uterus is one of the reasons why this occurs.
An induced abortion is a procedure to end a pregnancy. It can be done two different ways:
- Medication abortion (also called medical abortion)
- Procedural abortion
An induced abortion is different from a spontaneous abortion. That is the loss of a pregnancy before the 20th week of pregnancy. It is more commonly known as a miscarriage.
If you are thinking of having an induced abortion, talk with your health care provider. Your provider can explain how the procedures are done, as well as the risks and benefits of each.
abortion