Spontaneous abortion definition - Medical Dictionary definitions of popular medical terms easily defined on MedTerms

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November 22, 2009

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Definition of Spontaneous abortion

Spontaneous abortion: A miscarriage, that is, any pregnancy that is not viable (the fetus cannot survive) or in which the fetus is born before the 20th week of pregnancy. Spontaneous abortion occurs in at least 15-20% of all recognized pregnancies and usually takes place before the 13th week of pregnancy.

A spontaneous abortion is as opposed to an induced abortion. In a spontaneous abortion, it is purely accidental, that is spontaneous.

Last Editorial Review: 7/22/2001 3:10:00 PM

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