Sabrina | TFMR Pregnancy Loss Doula
Typically a TFMR (Termination For Medical Reasons, or a medically indicated abortion) starts with a dire or life-limiting medical diagnosis during a wanted (either planned or surprise-turned-desired) pregnancy. The poor diagnosis can be for either your baby in utero or to your own health where continuing the pregnancy would be harmful or even lead to death.
Then you have to make a decision to interrupt the pregnancy, or continue, now knowing the risks.
If you choose to terminate, there are a few different procedures that fall under that category. You may only legally be allowed to access one or the other, depending on the clinic, hospital, health system or even monetary resources. Or an emergency health situation may mean that the doctors highly recommend one procedure or birth over another.
A D&C or a D&E may be how the baby is born (usually with the pregnant person under aneasthesia), or you may labor and deliver the baby through the birth canal. The baby's heart may be stopped with an injection before either D&E or delivery. Or in the case of a multiples pregnancy, it may be best for the health of all to reduce the pregnancy and stop one (or more) of the baby/ies's hearts. Their bodies will remain inside until the other baby/babies are far enough along to be born.
Then you have to make a decision to interrupt the pregnancy, or continue, now knowing the risks.
If you choose to terminate, there are a few different procedures that fall under that category. You may only legally be allowed to access one or the other, depending on the clinic, hospital, health system or even monetary resources. Or an emergency health situation may mean that the doctors highly recommend one procedure or birth over another.
A D&C or a D&E may be how the baby is born (usually with the pregnant person under aneasthesia), or you may labor and deliver the baby through the birth canal. The baby's heart may be stopped with an injection before either D&E or delivery. Or in the case of a multiples pregnancy, it may be best for the health of all to reduce the pregnancy and stop one (or more) of the baby/ies's hearts. Their bodies will remain inside until the other baby/babies are far enough along to be born.
And finally, it is important to consider whether YOU feel like you went through a TFMR. If you had to make a medical choice, while your baby's heart (or babies' hearts) was/were still beating, this would legally fall under a termination. Make sure to consider how YOU view what you went through.