Incomplete Abortion - Introduction

A miscarriage is a pregnancy that ends before the baby can survive outside the womb because it has not yet reached viability. A miscarriage may be early - during the first 14 weeks of pregnancy, or late. The vast majority are early - only about 1% of abortions are late. An Incomplete abortion is an inevitable abortion and some of the products of the pregnancy are still present in the uterus. The definition of a abortion is a spontaneous loss of a pregnancy before 24 weeks: in the UK we calculate the duration of a pregnancy from the first day of the last period (LMP). A abortion the medical term for an early pregnancy loss is abortion - tends to start with bleeding, and pain may then develop.

Abortion Symptoms
The first abortion symptom is vaginal bleeding, which can range from spotting to being heavier than a period. A little spotting may be an early sign of abortion although fortunately this may amount to no more than a threatened abortion and the pregnancy continues. The second abortion symptom is pelvic pain. The third abortion symptom is cessation of pregnancy symptoms including breast tenderness, morning sickness and having to pass urine more frequently than usual. Sometimes there may be no sign or symptom to suggest abortion and pregnancy symptoms continue, and the abortion is only discovered in a routine scan. This is a missed abortion. A threatened abortion occurs when there is vaginal bleeding but ultrasound confirms a viable pregnancy.

Cause Of Abortion
Often the cause of a miscarriage remains unknown. The most common cause for abortion is a blighted ovum - the afterbirth type tissues develop but there is no baby. Another common cause is a genetic defect and nature decides not to allow the pregnancy to continue. Smoking and obesity may contribute to abortion but do not cause abortion by themselves. Similarly, stress may play a role in pregnancy loss, but it hasn't been shown to cause abortion on its own.