NHM UP Staff Nurse - 2019
Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Easy
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
Practise the full NHM UP Staff Nurse - 2019
Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.
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