Abstract
Prolonged intrauterine retention of fetal bones during an abortion procedure can lead to secondary infertility. This review aimed to raise awareness among obstetric/gynaecologists about the possibility of this condition. A total of 17 case reports, seven case series and one retrospective study were included in this review, with 75 patients in total. Overall, 60% had a pregnancy termination in the second trimester, while 20% had a termination during the first trimester. Hysteroscopic resection was used to remove the intrauterine fetal bones in 69% of patients. In total, 59% of patients conceived following the procedure, 1% conceived despite the presence of intrauterine bones, 24% could not conceive at the time of the study and 16% had an unknown outcome. Transvaginal ultrasound was used for diagnosis in 41 (55%) patients, while pelvic ultrasound was used in 21 (28%) patients. In conclusion, secondary infertility is a common occurrence after a dilation and curettage procedure partially due to fetal bone retention. The gold standard for an accurate diagnosis and treatment is hysteroscopy.
Publication details
- DOI
- 10.18295/squmj.6.2022.042
- Journal
- Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, 22(4), 448-454
- Publisher
- Sultan Qaboos University
- Open access
- Gold open access
- License
- CC BY-ND 4.0
Cite this article
APA 7
Agolli, A., Lawrence, J. A., Maskey, U., Loh, H., & Parikh, C. (2025). Secondary Infertility due to Fetal Bone Retention. Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, 22(4), 448-454. https://doi.org/10.18295/squmj.6.2022.042
MLA 9
Agolli, Arjola, et al. "Secondary Infertility due to Fetal Bone Retention." Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, vol. 22, no. 4, 2025, pp. 448-454. https://doi.org/10.18295/squmj.6.2022.042.
Chicago (author–date)
Agolli, Arjola, Jannel A. Lawrence, Upasana Maskey, Hanyou Loh, and Charmy Parikh. 2025. "Secondary Infertility due to Fetal Bone Retention." Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal 22 (4): 448-454. https://doi.org/10.18295/squmj.6.2022.042.
Harvard
Agolli, A., Lawrence, J. A., Maskey, U., Loh, H. and Parikh, C. (2025) 'Secondary Infertility due to Fetal Bone Retention', Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, 22(4), pp. 448-454. doi:10.18295/squmj.6.2022.042.
Vancouver
Agolli A, Lawrence JA, Maskey U, Loh H, Parikh C. Secondary Infertility due to Fetal Bone Retention. Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal. 2025;22(4):448-454. doi:10.18295/squmj.6.2022.042
IEEE
A. Agolli, J. A. Lawrence, U. Maskey, H. Loh, and C. Parikh, "Secondary Infertility due to Fetal Bone Retention," Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 448-454, 2025, doi: 10.18295/squmj.6.2022.042.