Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 27, 2026

Modeling Ascending Vaginal Infection, Preterm Birth, and Neonatal Morbidity in Mice
Published on: October 10, 2025
Nomenclature for pregnancy outcomes: time for a change
Robert M Silver1, D Ware Branch, Robert Goldenberg
1From the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Drexel University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio.
Abstract:
Traditionally, obstetricians have grouped together all pregnancy losses before the mid-second trimester as spontaneous abortions. However, this nomenclature is arbitrary, outdated, and not clinically useful. Using this system, miscarriages due to genetic abnormalities, fetal deaths associated with abnormal placental growth and development, and spontaneous preterm births of liveborn fetuses at previable gestations are lumped together in a single category. In addition, the term abortion is fraught with emotional connotations for families suffering the loss of a pregnancy. Thus, whereas the existing classification for pregnancy loss has served a somewhat pragmatic role, it ignores precepts of developmental biology and the clinical realities of these adverse pregnancy outcomes. In this article, we propose a more useful nomenclature for pregnancy loss and preterm births that is informative and is based on developmental periods in gestation and shared pathophysiology.
Related Concept Videos
Teratogenicity
Guidelines for Writing Outcome
Patient outcomes reflect the patient's response to the goal rather than what the nurse aims to achieve. Terminology should be observable and measurable to avoid the reader's interpretation. The desired outcome should be realistic and achievable in the designated care timeframe. Expected outcomes should align with adjunctive therapies. The outcome should enhance care evaluation by...
Drug Nomenclature
Development of the Oral Microbiota
Ovarian Cycle
Methods of Documentation II: POMR
