Statistics Canada
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Pregnancy Outcomes

2005

82-224-X


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Definitions

Pregnancies. Pregnancies equal the sum of: live births, induced abortions, and fetal loss (including stillbirths and hospitalized cases of miscarriages, illegally induced abortion, other and unspecified abortion). Cases of abnormal products of conception (for example, moles, missed abortions and ectopic pregnancies) are not included. Estimates of pregnancies are based on the date of termination and not on the date of conception.

Live births. The complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of conception, irrespective of the duration of the pregnancy, which, after such separation, breathes or shows any other evidence of life, such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles, whether or not the umbilical cord has been cut or the placenta is attached.

Induced abortions. Induced abortion is defined as the medical termination of pregnancy. Equivalent terms include: artificial abortion, therapeutic abortion, voluntary termination of pregnancy, elective termination of pregnancy, and active termination of pregnancy. The source of induced abortion data is the Therapeutic Abortion Survey which collects data on induced abortions performed in hospitals and clinics in Canada as well as abortions performed on Canadian women in selected American states, for data years prior to 2004.

Fetal loss. Fetal loss includes stillbirths and hospitalized cases of miscarriages, illegal abortions and unspecified abortions.

  1. Stillbirth (fetal death). Death prior to the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of conception, irrespective of the duration of pregnancy; the death is indicated by the fact that after such separation the fetus does not breathe or show any other evidence of life, such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles. Only fetal deaths where the product of conception has a birth weight of 500 grams or more or the duration of pregnancy is 20 weeks or longer are registered in Canada.
  2. In Quebec (and New Brunswick, prior to November 1996 and Saskatchewan prior to 2001), only fetal deaths (stillbirths) weighing 500 or more grams must be reported, regardless of the gestation period. Until 1997, a gestation period of at least 20 weeks was required in Prince Edward Island, regardless of birth weight.
  3. In New Brunswick, if the stillborn fetus is the result of an induced abortion, it is not registered as a stillbirth; the abortion event, however, will be reported to the Therapeutic Abortion Survey.
  1. Hospitalized cases of miscarriages, illegal abortion and unspecified abortions. Miscarriage, also known as spontaneous abortion, is the loss of products of conception from natural causes before the 20th week of gestation. Only cases requiring the hospitalization of the woman can be included in the calculation of fetal loss because there is no national data collection system or reporting requirements for miscarriages treated outside of hospital.
  2. Illegal abortions are those hospital cases in which the most responsible diagnosis was assigned the World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases (ICD) code for illegally induced abortion.
  3. Unspecified abortions are those hospital cases in which the most responsible diagnosis was assigned the ICD code for unspecified abortion. In other words, there was no indication on the patient's medical record as to whether the abortion was an induced abortion, spontaneous abortion or an illegal abortion.