threatened abortion
- noun
- /ˈθrɛtənd əˈbɔːrʃən/
- Specialized
:
aborto amenazado
- The doctor explained that her bleeding could indicate a threatened abortion, but the pregnancy might still proceed.
Examples
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Patients with signs of a threatened abortion are usually advised to rest and avoid strenuous activity.
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Many women experience threatened abortions during their first trimester.
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Because she experienced cramping and spotting, the obstetrician diagnosed her with a threatened abortion.
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She was diagnosed with a threatened abortion early in her pregnancy.
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Because she experienced cramping and spotting, the obstetrician diagnosed her with a threatened abortion.
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Patients with signs of a threatened abortion are usually advised to rest and avoid strenuous activity.
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The doctor explained that her bleeding could indicate a threatened abortion, but the pregnancy might still proceed.
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines 'threatened' (likely to occur) with 'abortion' (termination of pregnancy), so a learner who knows both words can reasonably infer a meaning like 'a possible or impending termination/miscarriage'. However, this is a clinical term referring specifically to signs of possible spontaneous miscarriage (not intentional termination), and that medical nuance and register may be unclear to a B1 learner, so the relation is only partially predictable.
Etymology
Threatened abortion is a medical phrase from older use where abortion simply meant a pregnancy ending on its own ('miscarriage'). When a pregnant woman has bleeding or cramps, doctors say the pregnancy is threatened with abortion, meaning it may end but might still continue, so today the term means early signs that a 'miscarriage' could happen.