vacuum aspiration
- noun
- /ˈvæk.juːm ˌæs.pɪˈreɪ.ʃən/
- Specialized
:
aspiración por vacío
- During the consultation, she learned that vacuum aspiration can be performed within the first trimester to ensure minimal discomfort.
Examples
-
Prof. Van de Heyning: First we perform vacuum aspiration to remove the debris in the outer ear canal, then we administer topical ciprofloxacin.
Academic text (2002) -
You've opted for our vacuum-aspiration abortion today.
-
- We do vacuum aspiration.
-
Early abortion care is relatively simple, and the vacuum aspiration techniques needed in the field have been developed and widely tested.
Blog text (11) -
Vacuum aspiration is then used to ensure no tissue remains in the uterus.
Blog text (11) -
She had experienced two episodes of spontaneous abortion, one four years earlier and the other the previous year; retained products had been removed by vacuum aspiration and dilation and curettage.
Academic text (2006) -
The doctor explained that a vacuum aspiration is a common method for safely terminating an early pregnancy.
-
Many clinics offer vacuum aspiration as a quick option for women seeking an abortion in the early stages of pregnancy.
Synonyms
∞
4.2
Ending a pregnancy so it does not lead to the birth of a baby
2
5.0
To end a pregnancy on purpose using medicine or an operation
A surgical way to remove a baby and placenta from the uterus by suction through the cervix during early pregnancy
Surface Forms
Morphology
The term combines 'vacuum' (suction/empty space) and 'aspiration' (act of drawing out), so a learner could plausibly infer it refers to a suction-based medical procedure. However, 'aspiration' at B1 is more likely to be understood as breathing, and the specific clinical meaning — a method of early-pregnancy abortion — is specialized and not fully predictable from the constituents. Because part of the sense (suction) is transparent but the precise procedural/clinical meaning is technical, it is best classified as semi-transparent.
Etymology
The medical term vacuum aspiration comes from what the procedure does: vacuum means strong suction, like a vacuum cleaner, and aspiration means 'to draw in'. Doctors use suction to remove the early pregnancy tissue, so the name literally describes a method 'to end a pregnancy' by drawing it out.