At 11 weeks of pregnancy, a screening ultrasound is performed, which allows you to identify severe malformations of the child, calculate the risk of Down syndrome and other pathologies. Some congenital malformations can be corrected after childbirth, and some of them are incompatible with life. Even Down syndrome, in addition to mental retardation, causes disorders in the formation of the heart, which lead to congenital heart failure. Therefore, if developmental anomalies are suspected, an additional ultrasound is performed at 17 weeks, after which a decision can be made on the need to terminate the pregnancy.
In the second trimester, the following methods are used:
• administration of prostaglandins;
• replacement of amniotic fluid with 20% sodium chloride solution;
• hysterotomy;
• a combination of several methods.
Artificial abortion in the late period is accompanied by a high risk of complications, and also severely traumatizes the psyche. After it, a long recovery period is necessary, during which it is impossible to become pregnant. It is optimal to wait 1-2 years, undergo an examination and prepare for subsequent conception in order to exclude the causes that led to the pathology of pregnancy for the first time.