Abortion

Abortion refers to the expulsion of the foetus from the uterus , before it can survive by itself. Abortion may be natural or medically induced. The term miscarriage refers to a late spontaneous abortion , see below, while a stillbirth refers to a spontaneous abortion after the 20th week of pregnancy.
The different types of abortion are briefly explained in the table below:

	Early Loss of foetus before 12 weeks of pregnancy. Late Loss of foetus between 12 and 20 weeks of pregnancy. Spontaneous Loss of foetus occurring naturally. Induced Medical termination of pregnancy. Therapeutic Removal of foetus to save the mother's life or preserve her health. Threatened Bleeding or cramping in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy, indicating that the foetus is in jeopardy. Inevitable Intolerable pain or bleeding with opening of the cervix, indicating that the foetus will be lost. Incomplete Expulsion of only part of the contents of the uterus or rupture of the membranes. Complete Expulsion of all the contents of the uterus. Habitual Three or more consecutive miscarriages . Missed Retention of a dead foetus in the uterus for 4 weeks or longer. Septic Infection of the contents of the uterus before, during, or after an abortion. Source [ 1 ]

Reference Source

1. From The Merck Manual of Medical Information – Home Edition , edited by Mark H. Beers and Robert Berkow. Copyright 1997 by Merck & Co., Inc., Whitehouse Station, NJ: http://www.merck.com/mmhe/index.html