Early Pregnancy during Autopsy: Clinical Implications and Assessment

Abstract

In early pregnancy, there will not be a considerable increase in the size of the uterus, and only a small gestational sac will be present in the uterus. Therefore, the chances of a missed confirmation of pregnancy lead to injustice with decease and the easy escape of the accused, so a confirmatory test is needed during an autopsy. The proposed method is an immediate, accurate, and easy confirmatory test of pregnancy during  autopsy. The diagnosis of early pregnancy is usually based on measurement of human chorionic gonadotropin in urine or blood, but ultrasonography is also an accurate diagnostic technique. History and physical examination are not highly sensitive methods for early diagnosis. In prevailing practice, size of uterus and corpusluteum are increased during pregnancy, which leads to definitive diagnosis. However, the uterus and corpusluteum don't grow much in size during early pregnancy, and findings are typically unreported. The suggested approach is simple and includes a confirmatory test. The process involves using an hCG strip to check the deceased's urine or blood serum for the presence of hCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin). Test results are positive if the deceased had an abortion within 15 days of passing away. False positive  test results may occur for several reasons, including errors of test application, use of drugs containing the hCG molecule, and non-pregnant production of the hCG molecule. Urine tests can be falsely positive in those that are taking the medications like: chlorpromazine, phenothiazines and methadone among others.