What it means
The medical term for a miscarriage. Most happen in the first trimester, often because of chromosome problems in the embryo. Types include threatened (bleeding with a closed cervix), inevitable, incomplete (some tissue remains), complete and missed (the pregnancy has stopped growing but has not passed). "Abortion" here does not mean the pregnancy was ended on purpose.
For the nurse
Count pads and watch for heavy bleeding, fever or foul discharge. Check the Rh status; an Rh-negative client may need Rh immune globulin. Give emotional support: grief is common, and the client should hear that the loss was not caused by something they did.
At a glance
| Spanish | aborto espontáneo |
|---|---|
| Also written | spontaneous abortions, miscarriage, miscarriages |
Related terms
hemorrhage
A large loss of blood from a blood vessel, inside the body or out of it.
placenta
The organ that grows in the uterus during pregnancy and passes oxygen and food from the parent's blood to the fetus.
trimester
One of the three periods, each about three months long, that a pregnancy is divided into.
gestation
The time a baby develops in the uterus, from conception to birth; pregnancy.