Late termination of pregnancy | |
---|---|
Other names | Postviability abortion, third trimester abortion, induced termination of pregnancy (ITOP),[1] late-term abortion |
Specialty | Obstetrics and gynecology |
ICD-10-PCS | O04 |
ICD-9-CM | 779.6 |
MeSH | D000028 |
MedlinePlus | 002912 |
Late termination of pregnancy, also referred to politically as third trimester abortion,[2] describes the termination of pregnancy by inducing labor during a late stage of gestation.[3] In this context, late is not precisely defined, and different medical publications use varying gestational age thresholds.[3] As of 2015, in the United States, more than 90% of abortions occur before the 13th week, 1.3% take place after the 21st week,[4] and less than 1% occur after 24 weeks.[5][6]
Reasons for late terminations of pregnancy include circumstances where a pregnant woman's health is at risk or when birth defects, such as lethal fetal abnormalities, have been detected.[7][8]
In the United States, the mortality rate for legal abortions overall is less than 1:100,000. The rate of mortality and morbidity increases with the gestational age of the fetus, so patients who have decided to have an abortion are strongly encouraged to get it early.[9] Still, later abortion is not associated with any greater net negative physical or mental health outcomes (including mortality) than full-term pregnancy and childbirth in the United States.[10][8][11]
Late termination of pregnancy is more controversial than abortion in general. All countries in Europe only permit abortion later in pregnancy (after 10-14 weeks in most countries, 18 weeks in Sweden and Iceland, and 24 weeks in the Netherlands and Great Britain) if specific circumstances are present, generally when the pregnancy represents a serious danger to the life, or to the physical or mental health of the woman, or when a serious malformation or anomaly of the fetus is diagnosed.[12]
Late-term abortion is a phrase used by abortion opponents to refer to abortions performed after about 21 weeks of pregnancy. It is not the same as the medical definition obstetricians use for 'late-term,' which refers to pregnancies that extend past a woman's due date, meaning about 41 or 42 weeks.
Abortions after 24 weeks comprise less than one percent of all abortions. When they occur, it is usually because the fetus has been found to have a fatal condition that could not be detected earlier, such as a severe malformation of the brain, or because the mother's life or health is at serious risk.
Abortion carries far less risk of physical and psychological morbidity and mortality than childbirth