Mifepristone and misoprostol compared with misoprostol alone for induction of labor in intrauterine fetal death: A randomized trial

Abstract

Aim: To assess whether mifepristone and misoprostol are more beneficial than misoprostol alone for the induction of labor in women with intrauterine fetal death.

Methods: A randomized double blind placebo-controlled parallel group superiority trial was conducted. One hundred and ten women who had experienced fetal death at or later than 20 weeks of gestation were randomized by computer-generated random number sequence to receive 200 mg of mifepristone or matched placebo tablets orally. Misoprostol was administered vaginally to women of both groups after 36-48 h. The main outcomes studied were the fetal-placental delivery rate within 24 hours of commencement of the first dose of misoprostol without additional intervention and the induction-delivery interval.

Results: Successful delivery occurred significantly more frequently in women who received mifepristone prior to misoprostol than in women who received only misoprostol (92.5% [49/53] compared with 71.2% [37/52] respectively; P = 0.001). The mean induction-delivery interval was also significantly shorter when using mifepristone plus misoprostol than using misoprostol alone (9.8 h, standard deviation, 4.4 compared with 16.3 h standard deviation, 5.7, respectively; P < 0.001).

Conclusion: Use of a combination of mifepristone and misoprostol significantly improved the rate of successful delivery and shortened the induction-delivery interval in women who had experienced fetal death compared with the use of misoprostol alone.

Keywords: induction of labor; intrauterine fetal death; mifepristone; misoprostol.