You respond to a 22-year-old female who is 12 weeks pregnant and is having severe abdominal cramps. She is having vaginal bleeding and is passing clots of blood. You suspect which of the following?

In this scenario, the combination of symptoms presented by the 22-year-old female — severe abdominal cramps, vaginal bleeding, and passing clots of blood during her 12th week of pregnancy — is indicative of a spontaneous abortion, commonly known as a miscarriage.

A spontaneous abortion typically occurs when there is a loss of a fetus before the 20th week of pregnancy, which aligns with her being 12 weeks pregnant. The severe abdominal pain and the presence of clots are classic signs, as the body is attempting to expel the pregnancy tissue. It's important to recognize that although vaginal bleeding can occur in various pregnancy complications, the specific combination of early pregnancy loss symptoms in this case points directly to a spontaneous abortion.

Other potential conditions, such as placenta previa, can cause bleeding but usually occur later in pregnancy and are typically characterized by painless bleeding rather than severe cramps. The other options regarding being term and in labor or postpartum hemorrhage are not applicable here, as the patient is still in early pregnancy. Understanding these details reinforces the identification of a spontaneous abortion as the most probable cause of her symptoms.