Page 57 - Critical Maternity & Newborn Health Nursing

Bleeding in Early Pregnancy

Causes:

1. Abortion.
2. Ectopic pregnancy.

3. Vesicular mole.

4. Local gynecological lesions e.g. cervical ectopy, polyp, dysphasia,

carcinoma and rupture of varicose vein.

Abortion

Definition: Termination of pregnancy before viability of the fetus i.e.

before 28 weeks (in Britain) and before 20 weeks or if the fetal weight is

less than 500 gm (in USA and Australia).

Abortion either induced such as: therapeutic abortion (abortion induced

for a medical indication) and criminal abortion (Illegal abortion induced

for a non-medical indication) or spontaneous (when the abortion occurs

spontaneously, the term "miscarriage' is often used.

Incidence: about 15% of all pregnancies.

Etiology of spontaneous abortion

1. Chromosomal abnormalities: cause at least 50% of early

abortions

2. Blighted ovum (anembryonic gestational sac): where there is

on visible fetal tissues in the sac.

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