Abortion or miscarriage is the termination of pregnancy before 6 months. Distinction is made between 3 kinds of abortion: miscarriage (spontaneous abortion), elective abortion (commonly called abortion) and therapeutic abortion. In the case of miscarriage, the patient presents bleedings and pelvic pains in the course of pregnancy.
Obviously, the 3 types have different causes:
Spontaneous abortions. They are early, before 3 months or late after 3 months. The most frequent
causes are: genetic or chromosomal, hormonal, infectious in early
miscarriages. In the late ones, causes are often mechanical: gapings of
the collar, fibromes, uterine malformations.
Treatments are mostly preventive: search for infections before and at the beginning of pregnancy and their treatment; stimulation of ovulations, hormonal treatment; hooping for late miscarriages and especially rest.
Curative treatments consist of a uterine revision by aspiration or curetting, a prevention of infection and haemorrhages.
Induced abortions. These are voluntary termination of pregnancies, allowed in
some countries and prohibited in others. In any case, these
actions must fall within accepted medical practices and applied with all safety measures as to preserve the
life of the woman, and especially avoid the complications of
clandestine abortions, namely: haemorrhages, infections and
infertility.
Among medical techniques, the most widely used are aspiration of the egg before 3 months of pregnancy. Abortive tablets are also more commonly used, but it takes a clinical and echographic monitoring during a few days.
Nonetheless, it is always advisable that all these acts supported by contraception guidance.
Therapeutic abortion. It relates to cases of lethal foetal malformations or serious
illnesses like some cancers or diseases that put the mother's life at stake. Decision must then be taken to cause an
abortion or a premature birth.
Applicable techniques are those of induced abortion or childbirth. Tablets or gel are widely used to cause contractions and anaesthetics to reduce pain.
In the event of foetal malformation, analyses will be done to know the cause and prevent this from happening again. A short contraception can be advised for a few months.
Retour
haut de page 