Are abortion and uterine curettage the same thing?

Abortion and curettage are both very common surgeries, but most people don't know much about them and easily confuse the two. In fact, there are some differences between abortion and curettage. Although both are to remove things from the human uterine cavity, their natures are different. However, both abortion and curettage are very harmful to human health and need to be properly managed. So are abortion and curettage the same thing?

Are abortion and uterine evacuation the same thing?

The two have similarities as well as differences. Abortion and curettage are not the same thing.

The difference between curettage and abortion

1. Uterine curettage

Curettage is the process of scraping the uterus. A procedure to scrape the lining of the uterus or the contents of the uterus. This is a minor surgery commonly performed in obstetrics and gynecology and is one of the methods of artificial abortion. It is divided into two categories: diagnostic curettage (abbreviated as DCT) and therapeutic curettage.

(1) Diagnostic curettage is divided into general diagnostic curettage and segmental diagnostic curettage.

General diagnostic curettage is suitable for endocrine abnormalities, which require understanding of endometrial changes and responses to sex hormones, the presence or absence of ovulation, the presence or absence of tuberculosis, etc. Segmented diagnostic curettage refers to the operation of first scraping the cervical canal and then the uterine cavity. The scrapings are sent for pathological examination separately. It is suitable for diagnosing cervical cancer, endometrial cancer and other uterine malignancies, and can understand the range of the cancer.

(2) Therapeutic curettage can be divided into suction curettage and forceps curettage.

Suction curettage is the use of a negative pressure suction tube to suck out the contents of the uterine cavity, while forceps curettage is the use of an oval forceps to remove the contents of the uterine cavity, followed by curettage. The indications for therapeutic curettage include: those who want to terminate the pregnancy in early pregnancy, suction curettage within 3 months of pregnancy, forceps curettage to remove residual materials in the uterine cavity after 3 months and after induced abortion; those who need to empty the uterine cavity for incomplete abortion, inevitable abortion, missed abortion, retained placenta, hydatidiform mole, etc.

2. Abortion

Artificial abortion is also called flow. It refers to the termination of pregnancy by surgical means, also known as "artificial" termination of pregnancy. Surgical methods include vacuum aspiration and curettage. Vacuum aspiration is to use a hollow straw to enter the uterine cavity and use negative pressure to suck out the embryonic tissue in the uterus, while curettage is to use oval forceps to clamp out large pieces of embryonic tissue in the uterus. Abortion can be performed before 14 weeks of pregnancy.

Precautions after uterine curettage

1. You should rest at home for 3-5 days, relax and avoid fatigue.

2. Within 2 weeks after the operation, rest in bed appropriately and avoid heavy physical labor.

3. Eat more nutritious food to restore your body to normal as soon as possible. Avoid eating raw, cold, spicy and irritating foods

4. Keep the vulva clean and hygienic, wash it with warm water 1-2 times a day, and change sanitary napkins frequently.

5. Do not take a sitz bath within 2 weeks or before vaginal bleeding has stopped.