 Before the 1980s, health professionals used the phrase "spontaneous abortion" for a miscarriage and "induced abortion" for a termination of the pregnancy.In the late 1980s and 1990s, doctors became more conscious of their language in relation to early pregnancy loss.Some medical authors advocated change to use of "miscarriage" instead of "spontaneous abortion" because they argued this would be more respectful and help ease a distressing experience.