A comparison of low-dose and high-dose protocols of vaginal misoprostol for second trimester termination of pregnancy

Abstract

Sixty patients were randomized to low-dose and high-dose groups, receiving a maximum total dose 1400 g of misoprostol by the vaginal route to compare the efficacy of the protocols for second trimester termination of pregnancy. Outcome measures to be compared between the groups were success rates, time to termination, blood loss, complications and side-effects. Yet time to termination was significantly shorter in the high-dose than in the low-dose group (923 +/- 571 vs 1307 +/- 828 min; p < 0.05). The distance between the internal cervical os and the placenta was positively correlated with the duration of the termination process (r = 0.508, p < 0.001). Induction to the fetal expulsion period is shorter with the higher dose without any significant increase in morbidity. A shorter distance between the internal cervical os and the placenta may forecast a shorter termination process.