abortion

Definition abortion

abortion: abortion n. the expulsion or removal of an embryo or fetus from the womb at a stage of pregnancy when it is incapable of independent survival (i.e. at any time between conception and the 28th week of pregnancy. In threatened abortion there is abdominal pain and bleeding from the womb but the fetus is still alive; once the fetus is dead abortion becomes inevitable. It is incomplete so long as the womb still contains some of the fetus or its membranes. Abortion may be spontaneous (a miscarriage) or it may be induced for medical or social reasons (termination of pregnancy). The abortion rate (the number of pregnancies lost per 1000 conceptions) is impossible to calculate precisely but is generally reckoned to be between one fifth and one third. Inductions or attempted induction of abortion are both criminal offenses in Britain unless carried out within the terms of the Abortion Act. Two doctors have to agree that termination of pregnancy is necessary and the operation must be performed in an approved hospital or clinic. Methods in current use include vacuum *aspiration of the products of conception through a thin cannula; *dilation and curettage; opening the womb through an abdominal incision (hysterotomy); or the use of *prostaglandins or other drugs to induce premature labour. Termination carries little risk early in pregnancy, but complications are more likely after the 13th week.