Abortion is a medical process that ends a pregnancy by the removal of the embryo. Early loss of pregnancy is the most obstetric problem that occurs in over two-thirds of human conceptions. The etiology of abortion is the root cause of the pregnancy. Abortion occurs in two ways: through induced or natural way. Naturally way, it may occur as a miscarriage. Miscarriage is the failure of 3 or more successive clinical documents before 20 weeks of pregnancy (Ali et al., 2020). A medical officer does the induced way in the case of either a fetal problem, unwanted pregnancy or health risks associated with the fetus. Medical officers can administer induced abortion through either medical or surgery. Medical means involve the administration of medication to end pregnancy, while surgery involves undergoing surgery where the medical officer removes tissues from the uterus.
The clinical manifestation of abortion differs depending on whether the abortion is spontaneous or induced. Symptoms of induced abortion include vaginal bleeding and fatigue. Vaginal bleeding is experienced after the surgical operation and lasts for a few days, while fatigue is a common side effect (Ali et al., 2020). Miscarriage (spontaneous) abortion symptoms include cramping, vaginal bleeding, which is the most frequent symptom, frequent vomiting, swelling of breasts and passage of tissues through the vagina. It is, therefore, essential to consider medical consultation if one experiences those signs.
Diagnostics of abortion involves testing the pregnancy and confirming whether it has ended and the type of abortion done. It is a combination of historical, physical, and medical tests, depending on the situation. Physical tests involve conducting physical exams to examine the victim’s problem. This consists in assessing signs of pregnancy such as an enlarged uterus, vaginal bleeding, which the medical officer may determine the characteristics of the blood, and possibly cervical dilation, which may show the cervix open, meaning there is an ongoing abortion. Historical tests may involve the doctor assessing the last menstrual period experienced, vagina bleeding, and passing pregnancy symptoms (Beaman et al., 2020). A medical test consists of conducting a pregnancy test and ultrasound, which is a technique which visualizes the uterus to see if there is a pregnancy.
Appropriate management of abortion is done mainly by outpatient, which means the patient won’t spend a night in the hospital. The medical officer makes the decision on whether the patient will undergo inpatient or outpatient, depending on the patient’s situation. However, we compare outpatient and inpatient management (Beaman et al., 2020). Inpatient management is less common for induced abortion unless under specific conditions. Outpatient management is the most common, especially in the early stages of pregnancy.
However, abortion may have some potential complications that may arise later, and therefore, it’s necessary to be aware of it. The complications mainly occur in induced abortion but are rare in miscarriages. In medication abortion, complications include infection due to improper hygiene, heavy bleeding, which may lead to death and incomplete abortion, which may lead to further surgery (Bridwell et al., 2022). In surgical abortion, complications may include cervical injury during operation, heavy bleeding and possibly incomplete surgery in which some tissues may be left in the uterus to bring some complications.
Nurses play vital roles in intervention and caring for abortion patients. Before the surgery, they perform some care roles, such as assessing the patient’s vital signs, educating them on the process, and alerting them of potential complications. After the operation, nurses also continue to administer medication in case of any pain, inform the patients on how to conduct themselves to recover, instruct them on proper hygiene and assess bleeding and cramping. These interventions and care help the patient fully recover. In addition to nurse care, medical management is needed in abortion. These medical managements help the patient to recover and restore any blood lost during abortion (Beaman et al., 2020). Some medical management procedures include regular checkups and ultrasound scans to check progress.
In conclusion, it is essential to teach the patients about abortion. Some of the teachings include the use of contraception in case the woman needs to prevent further pregnancy, providing information on how to recover excessive bleeding, follow-up care and risks and benefits. The teaching will help to avoid any other abortion cases and also teach how to address the case, if any, in the future.
References
Ali, S., Majid, S., Ali, M. N., Taing, S., El-Serehy, H. A., & Al-Misned, F. A. (2020). Evaluation of aetiology and pregnancy outcome in recurrent miscarriage patients. Saudi journal of biological sciences, 27(10), 2809-2817.
Bridwell, R. E., Long, B., Montrief, T., & Gottlieb, M. (2022). Post-abortion complications: a narrative review for emergency clinicians. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 23(6), 919.
Beaman, J., Prifti, C., Schwarz, E. B., & Sobota, M. (2020). Medication to manage abortion and miscarriage. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 35, 2398-2405.
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