Abortion - threatened

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Miscarriage

Abortion - threatened

Alternative Names:

Threatened miscarriage; Threatened spontaneous abortion
Treatment:

Bed rest or pelvic rest (abstaining from intercourse, douching, tampon use) may be recommended, but there is no evidence to show that these actually reduce the rate of miscarriage.

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The use of progesterone is controversial. The potential benefit is the relaxation of smooth muscle, including the muscles of the uterus. However, this may increase the potential risk of an incomplete abortion or an abnormal pregnancy. Unless there is a luteal phase defect, progesterone supplementation should not be used.

Expectations (prognosis):

The probable outcome is good when the pregnancy continues to progress and all the symptoms disappear.

Complications:

Spontaneous abortion
Moderate to heavy blood loss
Anemia
Dead fetus syndrome
Infection

Calling your health care provider:

It is imperative for a woman who knows she is (or is likely to be) pregnant and who has any signs or symptoms of threatened abortion to contact her prenatal health care provider immediately.