Question

a nurse in a clinic is caring for a client who is at 11 weeks of gestation and reports that she has
2 weeks. following an examination by the provider, the client is told that the fetus has died
uterus. how should the nurse document these findings?

missed miscarriage
incomplete miscarriage
inevitable miscarriage
complete miscarriage

Explanation:

Analyze the clinical presentation

The client is at 11 weeks of gestation and reports that she has had vaginal spotting for the past 2 weeks. Following an examination by the provider, the client is told that the fetus has died and remains in the uterus.

Define types of spontaneous abortions

To determine the correct documentation, we must compare the clinical findings against the definitions of different types of miscarriages (spontaneous abortions):

• Missed miscarriage (missed abortion): The fetus has died, but all products of conception are retained in the uterus. The cervix remains closed, and there may be no bleeding or only light spotting.
• Incomplete miscarriage: Some, but not all, products of conception have been expelled from the uterus. The cervix is dilated, and there is typically active, heavy bleeding and cramping.
• Inevitable miscarriage: There is moderate to heavy bleeding, cramping, and the cervix is dilated, indicating that miscarriage cannot be prevented, but the products of conception have not yet been expelled.
• Complete miscarriage: All products of conception have been expelled from the uterus. The cervix is closed, and bleeding and cramping are subsiding.

Match findings to the correct term

The provider's examination confirms that the fetus has died but remains entirely within the uterus. This clinical scenario perfectly matches the definition of a missed miscarriage.

Answer:

• Missed miscarriage (Correct answer)
• Incomplete miscarriage
• Inevitable miscarriage
• Complete miscarriage