miscarry, deliver prematurely. The Latin word abortus means "miscarriage, premature, untimely birth". In medicine abortion means ending a pregnancy prematurely.
Abortion Types Characteristics
Threatened Abortion occurring before the 20th week of gestation characterized by cramping and vaginal bleeding with no cervical dilation. it may subside or an incomplete abortion may follow. Imminent or Inevitable Abortion membranes rupture and the cervix dilates characterized by lower abdominal cramping and bleeding. Incomplete Abortion is characterized by expulsion of only part of the products of conception (usually the fetus). severe uterine cramping bleeding occur with cervical dilation.
Complete Abortion characterized by complete expulsion of all products of conception light bleeding mild uterine cramping passage of tissue closed cervix Missed Abortion intrauterine pregnancy is present but is no longer developing normally the cervix is closed, and the client may report dark brown vaginal discharge. pregnancy test findings are negative. Recurrent or Habitual Abortion characterized by spontaneous abortion of three or more consecutive pregnancies Septic Abortion abortion complicated by infection foul smelling vaginal discharge uterine cramping fever Methods of Abortion Before Fourteen Weeks Suction Aspiration: For this procedure you lie on your back with your feet in stirrups, and the doctor applies a shot of anesthetic to you cervix to reduce pain. Your cervical muscle is stretched with cone-shaped rods until the opening is wide enough to allow the abortion tools to pass into your uterus. Then the doctor guides the suction device through the cervix and into your uterus. When the suction machine is turned on you feel the strong force of the vacuum which is used to pull the placenta and fetus into parts small enough to pass out of your body through the suction tube. During surgery the doctor cannot see the inside of your uterus and operates by touch alone, trying to detach the fetus from the wall of the uterus with the powerful suction tip. Dilation and Curettage: The doctor opens your cervix, as described above, but in this case the abortion is done with a loop-shaped knife which he uses to scrape the wall of your uterus, cutting the fetus and placenta into smaller parts and pulling them out of your body through the cervix. RU 486: This is an abortion pill that would be taken very early in pregnancy, most likely before the ninth week. Your doctor would either inject you with mifepristone or give you an oral dose. Your body would begin to behave hormonally as if you were not pregnant and you would experience a heavy period. Two days later you would return to the clinic for a check-up. Next, you would be given and injection of prostaglandin. The prostaglandin causes your cervix to dilate, and your uterus would push the fetus from your body, similar to labor. This injection can cause serious cramping, bleeding, and heart problems. If the injection of prostaglandin is not used, RU 486 may result in a failed abortion. Then a doctor would surgically extract the fetus.
After Fourteen Weeks Dilatation and Evacuation: Because the bones of the fetus are larger and stronger by this time, the doctor uses a medical instrument resembling pliers to pull the fetus into smaller parts and removes those parts from your body through the cervix. This procedure requires that your cervix be opened wider than with "Suction" or "D and C" methods, and there is greater risk of harm to your reproductive organs.
After 16 Weeks Saline or Prostaglandin: This is injected into the amniotic fluid which surrounds the fetus in your uterus. To do this, the doctor inserts a long needle into your abdomen until the tip of the needle penetrates the uterus. He then injects one of these substances which eventually kills the fetus. Saline is a poisonous substance which eventually kills the fetus. Prostaglandin causes the muscle tissue of the mother to push the fetus out of the uterus. Both saline and Prostaglandin methods would require you to "give birth" to a dead fetus. The labor which precedes birth is usually long and painful.
Late Term Abortions Dilation and Extraction: Laminaria (a type of seaweed that expands when moist) is used to dilate the cervix over a two day period. On the third day, the membranes are ruptured. An ultrasound is used to locate the lower extremities. The doctor then uses large forceps to grasp a leg, and pull it down into the vagina. After the body is delivered, the skull is lodged at the cervical opening. The doctor makes an incision in the base of the fetal skull, inserts a suction catheter and evacuates the skull. This technique may be safer than a D and E abortion because the fetus is not dismembered in the uterus; however, damage may occur due to extensive stretching of the cervix during the procedure.
INSTRUMENTS USED IN ABORTION Uterine Curette - This is a metal rod with a handle on one end and a sharp loop on the other. It is used to scrape along the wall of the mother's uterus and dislodge her child. Syringe with Spinal Needle - This is a large capacity syringe with a long needle attached. In some abortion procedures it is used to drain off amniotic fluid from the mother's uterus and replace it with either a saline or urea solution. However, its more common use is for injecting chemical agents (digoxin, potassium chloride, etc.) into the heart of the baby.
Forceps- This is a metal instrument that resembles a pair of scissors but functions like a pair of pliers. They come in several different styles but regardless of design they are used to grasp, pull apart, and/or remove the baby. Forceps are especially useful in collapsing the skull and making it easier to pull the skull through the mother's cervix. Embryotomy Scissors - This instrument is used to cut off the head, arms and legs. Manual Vacuum Aspiration - MVA is used to abort a child from 6 weeks to 12 weeks of age. This handheld syringe works by creating its own vacuum/suction. MVAs are used and reused millions of times a year around the world. The major problem with the MVA is that it has a very weak vacuum. This means that the child is ripped apart slowly. Dubois' Embryotomy Decapitating Scissors - These abortion instruments were used to cut off the head, arms and legs. The Catholic Church has always condemned abortion as a grave evil. Christian writers from the first-century author of the Didache to Pope John Paul II in his encyclical Evangelium Vitae ("The Gospel of Life") have maintained that the Bible forbids abortion, just as it forbids murder.