Threatened and Spontaneous Abortion

. A survey has been made of the case histories of 271 patients admitted to hospital because of threatened abortion and 436 patients admitted because of spontaneous abortion. The object of the study was to find some factor in the history that could explain why a number of patients are admitted to hospital at a time when abortion threatens and others at a time when the abortion is in process, as judged by the initial diagnosis. It was found that patients with threatened abortion were hospitalized earlier in pregnancy than patients with spontaneous abortion. In addition it was seen that admission because of threatened abortion was most frequent among younger patients (below 30 years of age), among primigravidae and among patients from the upper social groups, while admission because of spontaneous abortion was most frequent among the older patients (above 35 years of age), multigravidae, unmarried women, patients that had a previous legal abortion and, finally, among patients from the lowest social groups. Possible reasons for these findings are discussed. It is concluded that a number of abortions could possibly be avoided if patients with symptoms of abortion were admitted to hospital for effective treatment as early as possible after the symptoms became manifest.