What Is a Missed Abortion

Missed abortion: a pregnancy in which there is a fetal demise (usually for a number of weeks) but no uterine activity to expel the products of conception. Recurrent spontaneous abortion: three or more consecutive pregnancy losses. Septic abortion: a spontaneous abortion that is complicated by intrauterine infection.

Is a missed abortion the same as a miscarriage?

A missed abortion is a miscarriage in which your fetus didn’t form or has died, but the placenta and embryonic tissues are still in your uterus. It’s known more commonly as a missed miscarriage. It’s also sometimes called a silent miscarriage. A missed abortion is not an elective abortion.

What causes a missed abortion?

Chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus are the most often cause of missed miscarriages, since these abnormalities do not allow the pregnancy to develop. If a miscarriage has occurred early in pregnancy, you will often be able to expel the pregnancy tissue naturally.