Synonyms
Definition
Early pregnancy loss can be described comprehensively as “a disturbance in pregnancy occurring before the period of fetal viability resulting in expulsion or retention of pregnancy” (Daftary and Chakrvarti 2007). The expulsion or extraction of the fetus or embryo weighing less than 500 g (20 weeks of gestation) from the uterus, spontaneous or induced, is called abortion (FIGO 1976).
Introduction
Motherhood is arguably one of the best feelings in the world. A joy for women to bring new life into the world, but pregnancy comes with its share of challenges. Abortion is one of the most dreaded outcomes of “pregnancy.” The primary manifestation of abortion is vaginal bleeding; it occurs in up to 25% of pregnancies prior to 20 weeks (Myles et al. 1993). It is a major cause of anxiety for all women, especially those who have experienced previous pregnancy loss and may be the presenting symptom of life-threatening conditions,...
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References
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Roy, D., Khongriah, M.I. (2020). Abortion. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1820-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1820-1
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