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Abortion - elective or therapeutic

Definition:

Elective or therapeutic abortion is the deliberate termination of a pregnancy.

Alternative Names:

Therapeutic abortion; Elective abortion

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Elective abortions are those initiated by personal choice. Roughly 20% of all pregnancies (excluding miscarriages) end in elective abortion. It has been reported that since abortion was legalized in 1973 through 2002, over 42 million legal abortions have been performed.

References:

Finer LB, Henshaw SK. Disparities in rates of unintended pregnancy in the United States, 1994 and 2001. Perspect Sex Reprod Health . 2006 Jun;38(2):90-6.

First trimester of pregnancy

Normal uterine anatomy (cut section)

Early weeks of pregnancy

Review Date: 9/19/2006
Reviewed By: Audra Robertson, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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