Abstract
Abortion or miscarriage is variously defined as the expulsion or extraction of a fetus (embryo) weighing less than 500 g equivalent to approximately 22 weeks’gestation (World Health Organization, 1977); or as termination before fetal “viability” is achieved; or as termination prior to 24 completed weeks of gestation (UK legal definition). The nomenclature of the various types of abortion is shown in Table 5.1. The incidence is 15% of clinically apparent pregnancies, but may be considerably higher if “occult” pregnancies are taken into account. Some 25% of women will have one or more abortions. It is the sixth commonest factor implicated in maternal mortality in the UK in 1988–1990.
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© 1996 Springer-Verlag London Limited
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Stabile, I., Chard, T., Grudzinskas, G. (1996). Abortion. In: Stabile, I., Chard, T., Grudzinskas, G. (eds) Clinical Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3374-2_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3374-2_5
Publisher Name: Springer, London
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-19942-7
Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-3374-2
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