1984/11/01 by David A. Grimes · 1 citation
Medicine · #Abortion #Assisted Reproductive Technology and Twin Pregnancy #Environmental health #Family planning #First trimester #Gestation #Gestational age #Gynecology #Maternal and Perinatal Health Interventions #Medicine #Obstetrics #Population #Pregnancy #Reproductive Health and Contraception #Research methodology
paper · doi:10.2307/2134915
crossref issued 1984/11/01 · crossref published 1984/11/01 · crossref published-print 1984/11/01 · openalex publication_date 1984/11/01 · crossref created 2006/05/03 · crossref deposited 2018/05/08 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/07/30 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
Late abortion remains a complex and difficult issue in the United States, where about 10 percent of all abortions are performed at 13 or more weeks' gestation. The reasons why women delay having abortions appear to be largely personal, and most are not amenable to public health intervention. Dilatation and evacuation (D&E) is the most frequently used method of second-trimester abortion, and the safest. Its greatest safety advantage lies in the 13-16-week-interval; for later abortions, D&E and instillation abortion have similar risks of complications and death. The rare instances in which an abortion procedure ends in a live birth represent the most controversial aspect of second-trimester abortion. However, trends toward abortions at earlier gestational ages, use of D&E and increased reliance on ultrasonography to confirm gestational age should reduce the frequency with which such events occur. Research in the area of midtrimester abortion should seek ways to reduce the need for such procedures, to improve their safety and to minimize the trauma of the experience for women.