Miscarriage vs Abortion - What is the Difference between Them?

There is often confusion in understanding miscarriage vs abortion. While both involve the termination of a pregnancy, there are some key differences between the two.

The main difference between abortion and miscarriage is that abortions are induced, while miscarriages occur naturally. In other words, an abortion is a planned termination of a pregnancy, while a miscarriage is an unplanned one. Read the blog to learn the difference between miscarriage and abortion.

Abortion is a legal procedure by which a woman can end her pregnancy deliberately. It can be done till the 24th week of gestation. A pregnant woman can abort her pregnancy using medicines or surgery if she doesn’t want to deliver the baby. 

It is better to abort in the early stages of pregnancy to reduce risks. As it involves going through emotional turmoil, the patient must consider carefully and take the advice of specialists before going ahead with the procedure.

Miscarriage is the ending of the pregnancy naturally before the 20th week. Miscarriages are also called spontaneous abortions. The majority of miscarriages are unavoidable and happen when the foetus stops developing.

Miscarriages are very common in the first trimester of pregnancy. The most common signs of miscarriage include bleeding of tissues and clots, abdominal cramps and lower back pain.

Miscarriage and abortion are two very different things. Miscarriage can happen for various reasons like problems related to the uterus or placenta.

Abortion, on the other hand, is a deliberate termination of a pregnancy. It can be done for various reasons, including if the pregnancy is unwanted or if there are health problems for the mother or baby. The difference between abortion and miscarriage are:

There can be various factors for terminating a pregnancy. Miscarriage can happen for many reasons, such as health-related or lifestyle. In rare cases, an accident or assault also causes miscarriage. In comparison, abortion is a decision based on the mother. 

Some of the common causes of miscarriage are:

1. Hormone problems
2. Clotting disorders
3. Infections like bacterial vaginosis, HIV or gonorrhoea
4. Uterine fibroids
5. Uterine adhesions are where the inner walls of the uterus stick together
6. Uterine polyps
7. Uterine septums
8. Penetrating injuries in the abdominal region
9. Partner abuse

On the other hand, a woman may choose abortion for the following reasons:

1. To end an unwanted pregnancy
2. Risk of inherited or congenital disease in the developing foetus
3. To remove the foetal tissues left after miscarriage
4. Life-threatening complications of the mother or the foetus

Miscarriages are due to natural and unpreventable causes, which need medical intervention to reduce the risks. In contrast, abortion is a safe procedure with fewer risks.

The risk of miscarriage includes:

1. Fever
2. Chills
3. Lower abdominal tenderness
4. Foul-smelling vaginal discharge
5. Infection in the uterus

The risks of abortion include:

1. Incomplete abortion (in the case of medical abortion) 
2. Heavy and prolonged bleeding
3. Infection
4. Fever
5. Damage to the cervix
6. Perforation of the uterus

A doctor can perform D&C method to remove all the foetal tissues in the case of miscarriage. It is a safe procedure that uses a surgical instrument to clean the uterine lining.

Your doctor will give you guidelines on what to eat and drink before the surgery. As its name implies, a D&C consists of two steps:

1. Cervical Dilation is necessary to allow the insertion of a surgical instrument.
2. Curettage involves removing uterine tissue and cleaning the lining of the uterus to remove any foetal tissues.

The abortion method depends on the gestational age of the pregnancy. There are two types of abortion, Medical Abortion and Surgical Abortion.

1. Medical Abortion: It is done using medicines. Two medicines, namely, Mifepristone and Misoprostol, are given to terminate the pregnancy. It is done before 9 weeks of the gestational period. 
2. Surgical Abortion:  The pregnancy is terminated through a surgical procedure. The D&C procedure can be followed by medical abortion. After 9 weeks of pregnancy, a surgical abortion is considered to terminate the pregnancy. 

Both miscarriage and abortion are two ways in which a pregnancy is terminated. An important point to note here is that neither of these events can prevent a woman from becoming pregnant again, provided the treatment is done by qualified specialists.