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UP CHO - 2018
Obstetrics & Gynaecology (E5)
Easy

Up to how many weeks is MTP (Medical Termination of Pregnancy) considered safe?

Appeared in: UP CHO - 2018

Explanation

  • Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) is considered safest during the first trimester, which concludes at 12 weeks of gestation.
  • Procedures performed within this timeframe are less invasive and carry a significantly lower risk of complications such as hemorrhage, infection, or uterine perforation.
  • Studies show that the risk of maternal mortality is substantially lower for terminations performed at or before 12 weeks compared to those performed in the second trimester.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

  • Option A: While termination at 6 weeks is very safe, this is not the upper limit of the safest period. The low-risk window extends further.
  • Option B: This is also a safe time for MTP, but it does not represent the full duration of the first trimester, which is considered the safest period overall.
  • Option D: This is incorrect because while the MTP Act allows termination up to 20 weeks (and even 24 weeks in special cases), the risk to the mother's health increases significantly after 12 weeks.

Related Visual

Visual explanation — Related Visual
Clinical Relevance
  • Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Safe gestational age for Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) and related legal provisions as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
  • Nurses play a vital role in counseling patients about the safety, methods, and legal aspects of MTP, ensuring informed consent.
  • Accurate determination of gestational age through Last Menstrual Period (LMP) and ultrasound is a critical nursing responsibility before any MTP procedure.
  • What if? If a patient presents at 15 weeks gestation seeking MTP, the nurse must know this falls into a higher-risk category. The procedure would require the opinion of two RMPs (for special categories under the amended act) and would likely be a more complex surgical procedure (D&E), necessitating more intensive counseling and post-operative monitoring.
How to Approach the Question
  • First, identify the keywords in the question: 'MTP', 'safe', and 'up to how many weeks'.
  • The word 'safe' is crucial. It directs you to think about medical risk, not just the absolute legal limit.
  • Recall the trimesters of pregnancy. The first trimester (up to 12 weeks) is associated with the lowest risk for most obstetric procedures.
  • Evaluate the options in this context. 6 and 8 weeks are within the safest period but are not the upper limit. 20 weeks is in the second trimester, where risks are significantly higher.
  • Conclude that 12 weeks is the best answer, as it represents the end of the first trimester, the period widely considered the safest for MTP.
Concept Tested & Keywords
  • Concept Tested: Safe gestational age for Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) and related legal provisions.
  • Stem keywords: MTP, Medical Termination of Pregnancy, safe, weeks
  • Lead-in keywords: Up to how many
  • Negative lead-in flag: false

Question ID

QizOKkB67IhSttWAEYZb5k

Reference Book

E6 Parks TextBook of Preventive & Social Medicine part 1 — Subpart C (pp 404-604 of 604) p. 199-200

E6 Parks TextBook of Preventive & Social Medicine part 2 — Subpart A (pp 1-232 of 464) p. 1

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 8398-8400

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