The 9 types of abortion: definition and most common causes

Abortion is a controversial issue around the world; in some cases it is accepted by nations while in other countries it is forbidden. It is about the termination of pregnancy, which can be totally natural, spontaneous or caused.

There are many reasons why a woman can go through any of the types of abortion, both natural and induced; and how we want to always speak to you with the truth, below we will tell you everything about each of the 9 types of abortion that can occur.

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What is an abortion?

When we speak of abortion we refer to the termination of pregnancy, or more specifically, to the interruption of the gestation of the embryo abruptly during the first 180 days. When this happens, regardless of whether it is naturally or caused, the fetus dies and we expel it from our body.

The reasons for an abortion can be many and vary for each woman. In any case, abortions spontaneous and natural are quite common. In fact

15% of pregnancies end in spontaneous abortions, and even 40% result in miscarriages or early losses.

Now, when we talk about types of induced abortion, the causes are completely different. Sometimes we find ourselves in the need to cause an abortion because the baby comes with malformations.

At other times we are simply not ready or do not want to be mothers, it is then an unwanted pregnancy or we don't have the resources to take care of the baby to come. In the worst cases, we choose abortion because the pregnancy is the result of rape.

Whatever the situation, as the sole owners of our body, we must be free to make the decision we need. In any case, even today there are countries where induced abortion is prohibited, others where it is only allowed in certain cases and a few that leave it up to women to decide whether or not they want to be mothers.

Women who live in countries that do not accept abortion under any circumstances, have to submit me to clandestine clinics and must put in risk their life to have an abortion, even if they have been victims of rape, so many people still fight for the legalization of the abortion. Statistics in hand, it seems that in Spain the abortion rate has decreased in recent years, as indicated in The country.

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Types of abortion

As we said, the types of abortion range from spontaneous to those we do by induced methods, that is, those we cause. There are those who include within this classification of types of abortion the reasons why we go to it.

1. Spontaneous abortion

Spontaneous abortion is one that happens due to natural causes, where we expel the fetus, or even the embryo, before the 20th to 26th week of gestation and without causing it. That is, it occurs due to purely natural causes.

On many occasions, spontaneous abortion occurs very early, in the beginning of pregnancy, so we did not even know that we were pregnant. In this case, menstruation is slightly delayed and becomes more abundant. and with a stronger pain in the uterus than usual, as it opens a little to be able to expel the remains of the embryo through menstruation.

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It is somewhat difficult to find the causes of this type of abortion, considering that many times we do not even notice it, but it is known that it may be due to diseases or malformations in our reproductive system, medications that we are taking at the time, chromosomal alterations of the fetus or infections.

Likewise, alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking, drug use, or stress can increase the chances of having a miscarriage.

2. Missed abortion or failed abortion

This is another type of natural abortion, because the fetus dies naturally within our uterus and it remains there, without being expelled for weeks. We only realize that we have a failed abortion through an ultrasound that shows that the fetal heart has stopped beating, otherwise we think that our pregnancy is still normal.

When we detect this type of abortion, the doctor must intervene with medications or surgically to remove the remains of the fetus that were not expelled.

3. Septic or infection abortion

Septic abortion is another type of miscarriage that occurs when an infection occurs in the placenta or fetus that ends the life of the fetus. It is also possible to call the infection that we suffer in our reproductive system as septic abortion as consequence of the remains of an abortion or the injuries that it has not been able to leave in its performance.

4. Induced abortion

Induced abortion in general is one that we produce voluntarily or with full knowledge of it in order to terminate the pregnancy and avoid the birth. This is the type of abortion that generates more controversy culturally, due to the beliefs that exist around the life of the fetus and the freedom or lack of freedom that women have over our body.

The following types of abortion that we will discuss are derived from induced abortion.

5. Therapeutic abortion

This is the type of abortion that is practiced when pregnancy becomes a very high risk to our health and survival, so you have to finish it as soon as possible. It is the same case of when we have to end the pregnancy because the fetus comes with malformations or serious diseases that can affect its life at birth.

6. Legal abortion

Another way to classify the types of abortion is in terms of their legality. In this case, the types of abortion that can be performed depend on the laws of each country. As usual countries with legal abortion accept that it is practiced in some cases, either a therapeutic abortion (malformations of the fetus or that endanger the life of the mother) or as a result of rape.

Currently several countries have passed laws that allow abortion freely without the need for it to be only under the cases mentioned above. Of course, each country has decided on a limit of weeks of gestation in which abortions can be performed by voluntary decision. For example, in Spain it must be performed within the first 14 weeks of gestation by accredited health centers.

7. Illegal abortion

We speak of illegal abortion when we must perform any type of abortion clandestinely, that is, outside the law. This normally happens in countries where voluntary abortion is not allowed.

Illegal abortion is highly dangerous, since there is no guarantee about the place and the person who performs the procedure, which can result in serious infections, diseases and even the death of the women.

8. Drug abortion

Within the classification of the types of abortion we can also contemplate the means by which the abortion is performed. In the case of medical abortion, drugs are used to terminate the pregnancy and it turns out to be the safest method of all.

9. Surgical abortion

This type of abortion uses mechanical means to terminate the pregnancy and removing the fetus from the woman's body. Mechanical or surgical methods include aspiration of the fetus, scraping, and injecting substances that allow parts of the fetus to be extracted. Surgical abortion, if not performed well, can have serious consequences for the woman's health.

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Bibliographic references

• Devereux, George (1976). A Study of Abortion in Primitive Societies. International Universities Press.

• Hartmann, Betsy (1995). Reproductive Rights and Wrongs: The Global Politics of Population Control. South End Press.

• WHO (2005). The World Health Report 2005: Make every mother and child count. Geneva: World Health Organization.