Evaluation of the Causes of Therapeutic Abortion Registered in the Khorasan Razavi Department of Forensic Medicine from 2012-2019

Background: Therapeutic abortion is a complicated issue in Islamic Countries Therapeutic abortion is a complicated issue in Islamic countries. The new population growth policies in Iran introduced updated indications for therapeutic abortion in recent years. Objectives: This study was performed to evaluate the causes of therapeutic abortion in the Khorasan Razavi Department of Forensic Medicine from 2012-2019. Methods: This longitudinal study was performed on all recorded documents of permitted therapeutic abortions from 2012-2019 using a researcher-made checklist. Results: A total of 2,729 therapeutic abortion permits were issued during the study period. The mean maternal and gestational age scores at the time of abortion were 30.30±6.78 years and 16 weeks, respectively. The main sources for referral were obstetrics and gynecologist (76.2%). Fetal causes were the most common causes of therapeutic abortion (96.4%). The most common fetal and maternal causes were trisomy 21 and cardiac disorders, respectively. Conclusion: The most common cause of therapeutic abortion was fetal causes. Among the maternal causes, maternal cardiac disorders should be identified and prevented by better pregnancy care.