Abortion, termination of pregnancy before the foetus is capable of independent life. When the expulsion from the uterus occurs after the foetus becomes viable (capable of independent life), usually at the end of six months of pregnancy, it is technically a premature birth. In the United Kingdom, when the foetus is not born alive after 24 weeks of pregnancy it is termed a still birth.
II. Types of AbortionPrint section
Abortion may be spontaneous or induced. Expelled foetuses weighing less than 0.5 kg (18 oz) or of less than 20 weeks' gestation are usually considered abortions.
A. Spontaneous AbortionPrint section
It is estimated that some 25 per cent of all human pregnancies terminate spontaneously in abortion, with three out of four abortions occurring during the first three months of pregnancy. Some women apparently have a tendency to abort, and recurrent abortion decreases the probability of subsequent successful childbirth.
The causes of spontaneous......
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