Does a natural miscarriage count as an abortion?

Written by Liu Wei Jie
Obstetrics
Updated on September 15, 2024
00:00
00:00

Is miscarriage considered the same as abortion? These are not the same concepts, but they share similarities. Miscarriage is due to factors related to the mother or fetus, leading to the natural loss of the embryo, whereas abortion involves artificially inducing the removal of the embryo from the womb. Although miscarriages might also result in some postpartum complications, abortions tend to have more complications due to the artificial means involved. These artificial ways include surgical abortion procedures, during which there might be risks of infection and damage to the uterine lining.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Du Rui Xia
Obstetrics
48sec home-news-image

Does a natural miscarriage require a uterine cleaning (D&C)?

When a miscarriage occurs, whether a uterine cleaning is needed depends on whether there are any remnants in the uterine cavity as shown by a follow-up ultrasound examination, that is, to see if the miscarriage was complete. If the examination reveals significant remnants in the uterine cavity after the miscarriage, then a uterine cleaning treatment is required. Most women do not need a uterine cleaning after a natural miscarriage, as typically the bleeding will stop around 7-10 days post-miscarriage. Therefore, women should focus on resting, improving their nutrition, and enhancing their body's resistance to prevent any potential complications after a natural miscarriage.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Lu
Obstetrics
55sec home-news-image

What is the discharge from a natural miscarriage?

Miscarriage refers to the spontaneous expulsion of the gestational sac from the uterine cavity, without the need for human intervention. Human interventions mainly include medical abortion or painless surgical abortion. During a miscarriage, the gestational sac is expelled from the uterus, so the expelled material is primarily the gestational sac. The sac generally consists of white villous tissue, and during a natural miscarriage, it is essential to identify villous tissue in the pregnancy tissue in order to confirm a natural miscarriage. Besides the villous tissue, due to decidualization changes in the endometrium after pregnancy, the tissue expelled during a miscarriage also contains a certain amount of decidual tissue. Therefore, the material expelled in a natural miscarriage mainly includes the villous tissue, followed by uterine decidual tissue.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Yue Hua
Obstetrics and Gynecology
45sec home-news-image

How to clean the uterus after a natural miscarriage

Most patients with natural miscarriages do not need uterine cleaning, as these patients usually have short pregnancy durations and the embryo expels itself. At this time, it is necessary to visit a hospital for an ultrasound to check the condition of the uterine cavity. Most women generally have nothing remaining in their uterine cavity. If there are some small amounts of residual embryonic tissue, one can take some blood-activating and stasis-resolving medications, and then strengthen uterine contractions to expel such tissues. A week later, a hospital check-up can generally confirm that the uterine cavity is quite clean, hence, uterine cleaning is not needed for a natural miscarriage.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Du Rui Xia
Obstetrics
1min 3sec home-news-image

What are the symptoms of a natural miscarriage?

During a natural miscarriage, the most typical clinical symptoms include abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding. Based on the different symptoms of a natural miscarriage, women should undergo differential diagnosis. When a woman experiences abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding, it may initially suggest a threatened miscarriage. If the abdominal pain worsens and vaginal bleeding increases, it could progress to an inevitable miscarriage. An inevitable miscarriage can further be classified into complete or incomplete miscarriage. In the case of a complete miscarriage, the abdominal pain generally subsides gradually, and the vaginal bleeding eventually stops. In contrast, during an incomplete miscarriage, the vaginal bleeding lasts longer, and the abdominal pain is prolonged. At this point, it is necessary to visit a hospital for an examination to check if there are any remnants in the uterine cavity and to receive further treatment.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Du Rui Xia
Obstetrics
1min 1sec home-news-image

How many days of rest are needed for a natural miscarriage?

After a natural miscarriage, women also need to go through a confinement period, although it is shorter than the confinement period after a normal delivery. Therefore, it is essential to rest for at least a week after a miscarriage. If possible and conditions allow, it is best to rest for two weeks. Following a miscarriage, women's immune systems are generally weaker, and their bodies more frail. At this time, it is important to establish healthy lifestyle habits, such as maintaining a regular sleep schedule, going to bed early and waking up early, ensuring adequate sleep, and avoiding heavy physical labor. Opt for light, easily digestible, and absorbable foods, with balanced nutrition including both meat and vegetables. Eating more fresh vegetables and fruits, as well as foods like lean meat, eggs, and dairy, can help enhance the body's immune system and promote recovery.