Spontaneous abortion is?

Appeared in: NHM UP Staff Nurse - 2019

Explanation

Spontaneous abortion, also known as a miscarriage, is medically and legally defined as the natural loss of a pregnancy before 20 weeks of gestation.
The term 'spontaneous' is key, as it differentiates this event from an induced or therapeutic abortion, which involves medical or surgical intervention.
The 20-week gestational age is the standard cutoff point, as a fetus is generally considered non-viable before this stage.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

Option B: The gestational age is incorrect. A pregnancy loss at 28 weeks is classified as a stillbirth, not a spontaneous abortion.
Option C: This describes an induced or therapeutic abortion, not a spontaneous one. The use of medications to terminate a pregnancy is an intervention, which contradicts the term 'spontaneous'.
Option D: The gestational age is incorrect. While close to the correct answer, the standard and widely accepted cutoff is 20 weeks, not 22 weeks.

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Definition of Spontaneous Abortion as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Nurses play a critical role in assessing patients with suspected miscarriage, including monitoring bleeding (pad counts), pain, and vital signs for signs of shock.
A key nursing responsibility is to check the mother's Rh status. If she is Rh-negative, Rho(D) immune globulin must be administered within 72 hours to prevent isoimmunization in future pregnancies.
Providing emotional and psychological support is paramount, as patients and their families experience significant grief and loss.

How to Approach the Question

This is a factual recall question that tests your knowledge of a specific medical definition.
First, identify the key term in the question: 'Spontaneous abortion'.
Recall the two essential components of its definition: 1) the nature of the event (it must be 'spontaneous' or 'natural') and 2) the gestational age cutoff.
Evaluate each option against these two criteria.
Option C is incorrect because it mentions 'medications', which means the loss is induced, not spontaneous.
Options B and D are incorrect because they state the wrong gestational age (28 and 22 weeks, respectively).

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Definition of Spontaneous Abortion
Stem keywords: Spontaneous abortion
Lead-in keywords: is

Question ID

Qx7mLFi7IY0FYdYhQKEnbr

Reference Book

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 8397-8399

E6 Gynecology Williams p. 142-171

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