ABORTION

There are treatments available for threatened abortions, which usually consist of bed rest. Almost continuous bed rest throughout pregnancy is requires in some cases of repeated abortion; vitamin and hormone therapy may be also given (Microsoft, Encarta). .
             Induced abortion is the deliberate termination of pregnancy by removal of the fetus from the womb. It is currently performed by any of four standard procedures, according to the period of time. Suction, or vacuum aspiration, is used in the first trimester up to twelve weeks. In this procedure, which normally takes five to ten minutes on an outpatient basis, the cervix is opened gradually with a series of dilators and the uterine contents are withdrawn by means of a small flexible tube called cannula, which is connected to a vacuum pump. To ensure that no fragments of tissue remain, a spoon-tipped metal instrument called a curette may be then used to scrape the uterine lining. Introduced in china in 1958, vacuum aspiration soon replaced the traditional early-abortion procedure, dilation and curettage. Pregnancies in the earlier part of the second trimester may be terminated by a special suction curettage, sometimes combined with forceps, in a procedure called dilation and evacuation. The patient may remain in the hospital overnight and may experience a menstrual type of bleeding and discomfort. After the 15th week of gestation, saline infusion is commonly used. In this technique, a small amount of amniotic fluid is withdrawn from the uterus by means of a fine tube or hypodermic needle through the abdominal wall and is slowly replaced with a strong salt solution. This induces uterine contractions in about 24 to 48 hours. The fetus is then usually quickly expelled and the patient leaves the hospital about a day later. Late abortions are accomplished by hysterotomy, in which is a sort of surgical procedure which is similar to a cesarean, but requiring a smaller incision lower in the abdomen.