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PubMed1969

Transplacental passage of fetal red cells in abortion; increased incidence after curettage and effect of oxytocic drugs.

In a study of early abortions (less than 16-week pregnancies) no significant increase in fetomaternal haemorrhage was found in patients having either threatened or incomplete abortions. A statistically significant increase in fetal cells in the maternal circulation, however, occurred after curettage. The administration of oxytocic drugs in conjunction with curettage in cases of incomplete abortion did not increase the incidence of transplacental passage of fetal erythrocytes when compared with curettage alone. Of the 81 patients curetted following abortion four had a feto-maternal haemorrhage of more than 0.2 ml. The largest amount of fetal blood found in the maternal circulation was 0.4 to 0.5 ml. Preliminary data evaluating the indirect Coombs test and enzyme-treated red cells in Rh-negative post-abortion cases suggest that this amount of blood is not a primary immunizing dose but a "booster" to preformed antibody.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗

PubMed1995

A randomized trial comparing misoprostol three and seven days after methotrexate for early abortion.

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine whether vaginal misoprostol 7 days rather than 3 days after methotrexate injection increases the percent of successful abortions on the day of misoprostol administration. STUDY DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial was performed in women requesting an abortion at < or = 56 days' gestation. Eighty-six women were treated with methotrexate 50 mg/m2 intramuscularly followed 3 days (group 1) or 7 days (group 2) later by vaginal misoprostol 800 micrograms. The misoprostol dose was repeated if the abortion did not occur. RESULTS: Complete abortion occurred in 38 of 46 (83%) patients in group 1 and 39 of 40 (98%) in group 2 (p = 0.033). Of the women with complete abortions, 30 of 46 (65%) in group 1 and 27 of 40 (68%) in group 2 aborted the same day as the first or second dose of misoprostol (p = 0.823). Vaginal bleeding lasted 14 +/- 5 (mean +/- SD) days in group 1 and 17 +/- 9 days in group 2. The remaining women aborted after a delay of 24 +/- 6 days in group 1 and 28 +/- 13 days in group 2. For these women vaginal bleeding lasted 18 +/- 17 and 14 +/- 7 days, respectively, and the human chorionic gonadotropin-beta level was < or = 25 IU/L by 22 +/- 7 days after the abortion in group 1 and 19 +/- 9 days in group 2. Treatment failures in group 1 were four continuing pregnancies (9%), two incomplete abortions (4%), and two women who requested surgical termination after receiving both medications (4%). The treatment failure in group 2 was an incomplete abortion. Methotrexate and misoprostol side effects were infrequent. CONCLUSIONS: Methotrexate and vaginal misoprostol are more effective abortifacients when the misoprostol is given 7 days rather than 3 days after methotrexate. This treatment regimen may offer an alternative to surgical abortion or the use of antiprogestins and prostaglandin for medical abortion.

Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal↗

PubMed1999

Methotrexate and misoprostol used alone or in combination for early abortion.

The purpose of this study was to compare the outcome and side effects of using the drugs methotrexate and misoprostol, alone or in combination, to induce abortion. A total of 108 subjects who had requested elective termination of pregnancy and medical abortion at 9 weeks gestation or less were randomized into three groups. The first group received 50 mg/m2 intramuscular (i.m.) methotrexate on day 1 and, if the hCG level had risen by > 50% of the initial level on day 4, a second dose was given. They were then followed-up at weekly intervals up to day 21. Group 2 received 800 micrograms vaginal misoprostol on day 1 and, if ultrasound showed a gestational sac on day 4, they received a repeat dose and were re-examined on day 7. Group 3 received 50 mg/m2 methotrexate intramuscularly followed 3 days later by 800 micrograms vaginal misoprostol and were re-examined on day 7. Complete abortion occurred in 25 (69%) of the 36 subjects in group 1, 21 (58%) of the 36 subjects in group 2, and 32 (89%) of the 36 subjects in group 3. The complete abortion rate in group 3 was significantly higher than that of both group 1 and group 2 (p < 0.05). The incomplete abortion rate was significantly higher in group 2 as compared with both of the other groups (p < 0.05). There were significant differences between the mean gestational age of the successful abortions and the failures in group 1 (no abortion occurred at more than 49 days gestation), but not in groups 2 or 3. Vaginal bleeding in subjects who successfully aborted began within 16 +/- 4 days in group 1 after the first dose, and within 24 h in 18 (86%) of the 21 subjects in group 2 and 27 (84%) of the 32 subjects in group 3 after the misoprostol dose. The drugs caused no serious or prolonged side effects. The combination of methotrexate and misoprostol is a more effective abortifacient regimen than when either drug is used alone.

Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal↗

PubMed1993

Termination of pregnancy with reduced doses of mifepristone. World Health Organisation Task Force on Post-ovulatory Methods of Fertility Regulation.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the abortifacient efficacy and side effects of three doses of the antiprogestin mifepristone plus prostaglandin for termination of early pregnancy. DESIGN: Randomised, double blind multicentre trial. SETTING: 11 departments of obstetrics and gynaecology and of family planning, mostly in university hospitals, in seven countries. SUBJECTS: 1182 women with an early pregnancy (menstrual delay of 7-28 days) requesting abortion. INTERVENTIONS: Single doses of 200 mg, 400 mg, or 600 mg mifepristone followed, 48 hours later, by vaginal pessary of 1 mg of the prostaglandin E1 analogue gemeprost. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcome of treatment; duration and subjective amount of menstrual bleeding; side effects and complications; and concentrations of haemoglobin. RESULTS: Outcome was similar with the three doses of mifepristone. Of the 1151 women with known outcome, 95.5% had a complete abortion (364 (93.8%) of those given 200 mg mifepristone, 368 (94.1%) of those given 400 mg, and 367 (94.3%) of those given 600 mg), 3.7% had an incomplete abortion (14 (3.6%), 15 (3.8%), and 14 (3.6%)), 0.3% had a missed abortion (three (0.8%), one (0.3%), and none), and 0.4% had a continuing live pregnancy (two (0.5%), two (0.5%), and one (0.3%)). Of the 43 women who had incomplete abortion, 23 underwent emergency uterine curettage (usually for haemostatic purposes) and three of these women were given a blood transfusion. The numbers of reported complaints, bleeding patterns, and changes in blood pressure and haemoglobin concentrations were similar with the three treatments. CONCLUSIONS: For termination of early pregnancy a single dose of 200 mg mifepristone is as effective as the currently recommended dose of 600 mg when used in combination with a vaginal pessary of 1 mg gemeprost.

Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal↗

PubMed1998

Second trimester abortion using intravaginal misoprostol.

OBJECTIVE: To find the effective dose of intravaginal misoprostol to induce second trimester abortion. METHODS: Intravaginal misoprostol in 200-microg, 400-microg and 600-microg doses were applied at 12-h intervals in 150 consecutive pregnancies. RESULTS: The 48-h successful abortion rate was 70.6%, 82% and 96%, respectively, and these rates were unaffected by parity. The mean induction to abortion interval was 45.0 +/- 41.5, 33.4 +/- 34.9 and 22.3 +/- 14.3 h, respectively. The mean dose of misoprostol required to induce abortion was 416.7 microg, 772.8 microg and 1296 microg. The rate of nausea and vomiting was 3.9%, 12% and 20%. The diarrhea occurrence rate was 0%, 6% and 22% with temperature elevation 0%, 2% and 28%, respectively. The rate of incomplete abortion was 35.3%, 28% and 22%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The 600-microg dose is more effective as an abortifacient agent for second trimester abortion in terms of 48-h success rate and the rate of incomplete abortion but with more side effects. However, the side effects were mild and did not warrant any specific treatment.

Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Abortion admissions in rural Matebeleland north province.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the characteristics, clinical features and management of women admitted with an abortion in rural Zimbabwe. DESIGN: Cross sectional descriptive study. SETTING: Four government and two mission hospitals in rural Matebeleland North province. SUBJECTS: Hospital records of 355 consecutive women admitted with the diagnosis abortion from May to October 2000, and delivery registers covering the same six month period. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Age, marital status, reproductive history, referral status, distance home to hospital, presenting symptoms, findings on examination, complications, management in hospital, final diagnosis, length of hospital stay. RESULTS: Abortion patients tended to be older and of higher parity than women who delivered in the same period. Fifteen percent were teenagers, 81.2% were married and 2% nullipara. Mean period of gestation was 11.3 weeks. About half of the women had been referred and 74.4% lived within a 50 km radius from the hospital. Forty two percent had never used contraception. Of the users, 38.6% had discontinued in order to conceive and 19.3% had fallen pregnant on the method. Thirty one percent of the women wanted no more children. One third of the abortion patients had a temperature above 37.6 degrees C; 25.9% offensive vaginal discharge and 7% a haemoglobin of less than 6 g/dl. Eighty percent were given antibiotics and 4.2% received a blood transfusion; 73.2% had an evacuation of the uterus for incomplete abortion, with a mean delay between admission and evacuation of 32.5 hours. Only 17.5% of the women had on record that they were given a contraceptive method on discharge. Mean length of hospital stay was 3.1 days. The case fatality rate was more than 1%. An estimated 43.4% of the women had a possibly unsafe induced abortion prior to admission. CONCLUSION: As evidenced by the high morbidity and mortality, abortions are a serious public health problem in rural Matebeleland North. Taking into account that only a minority of the women with both unsafe and spontaneous abortions present to a hospital, it is imperative that the reproductive needs of the women who do come are addressed. No opportunity should be missed to offer contraceptives to a group of women whose use of contraception is lower than average. Clinical management of abortion patients could improve by earlier evacuation of the uterus in cases of incomplete abortion, use of local or no anaesthesia and by increased availability of suction cannulas in district level hospitals, which would also reduce length of hospital stay.

Abortion, Induced↗

PubMed1986

[Haptoglobin typing in abortion in the 1st trimester].

The type of haptoglobin was examined in 239 women suffering from hemorrhage in early pregnancy. The distribution of Hp-types in the different forms of abortion was compared with a reference group. A provable significant deviation in distribution of Hp-types could be traced in case of incomplete abortion. The immunological lower reaction capacity in haptoglobin type 1-1 has been discussed.

Abortion, Incomplete↗

PubMed1979

Extraamniotic intermittent administration of prostaglandin F2 alpha during the first and second trimesters of pregnancy.

Extraamniotic application of prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) was used for legal abortion in the series of 1012 women. The pregnancies were terminated by abortion between the 6th and 27th weeks of pregnancy. In 86.7% of the cases, intermittent extraamniotic application of PGF2 alpha led to complete or incomplete abortions. Of the 26 failures, nine were caused by technical difficulties. In 17 primigravidae, the cervical canal remained closed. There were no statistically related differences between the different weeks of the pregnancy with regard to success and failure rates. The mean PGF2 alpha dose and abortion time increased significantly (p less than 0.01) with increasing duration of pregnancy. 80% of the patients suffered from undesirable side effects. The morbidity rate for the period up to six weeks following the abortion was 3.2%.

Abortion, Incomplete↗

PubMed2003

Unsafe abortions in a developing country: has liberalisation of laws on abortions made a difference?

Unsafe abortion is still a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality in Africa. To assess whether the introduction of legal abortions in South Africa has decreased admissions resulting from mid-trimester abortions, a prospective study of abortion cases admitted to the King Edward VIII Hospital, Durban, South Africa, over a four-month period was carried out. Two hundred and four women were admitted with incomplete abortion; 49% of which were spontaneous, 17% certainly induced, 10% probably induced, 18% possibly induced and 4.3% legally induced. A change in the laws on termination of pregnancy (TOP) has resulted in a decrease in cases of incomplete abortion being admitted to the gynaecological wards. However, illegal TOPs are still prevalent for a variety of reasons. There is need to place more emphasis on the delivery of efficient contraceptive services and reproductive health education for women.

Abortion, Legal↗

PubMed2001

Sonographic findings in clinically diagnosed threatened abortion.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the sonographic appearances in pregnant women who presented with vaginal bleeding in the first 20 weeks of gestation. METHOD: Pregnant women of under 20 gestational weeks diagnosed clinically as threatened abortion were recruited for ultrasound scan at the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University. The sonographic findings were reported as viable pregnancy, anembryonic pregnancy, embryonic death, incomplete abortion, complete abortion, ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy and inconclusive findings. Patients with inconclusive findings were followed weekly until final diagnoses were established. All patients were followed-up to 20 weeks or until the final outcomes were revealed. RESULTS: Two hundred and sixty eight pregnant patients were enrolled. Ultrasound scans demonstrated 100 viable fetuses (37.3%), 73 embryonic deaths (27.3%), 46 anembryonic pregnancies (17.2%), 6 molar pregnancies (2.2%), 3 ectopic pregnancies (1.1%), 14 complete abortions (5.2%) and 26 inconclusive findings (9.7%). Follow-up scan on patients with inconclusive findings revealed 9 anembryonic pregnancies (3.3%), 9 incomplete abortions (3.3%), 1 embryonic death (0.4%) and 1 viable pregnancy (0.4%). Six patients (2.3%) were lost to follow-up. The viable pregnancy rate according to maternal age was highest at the maternal age of 25 to 29 years old (49%), whereas, it was lowest at the maternal age of 40 to 44 years old (0%). The viable pregnancy rate according to gestational age was highest at 6 to 8 weeks (61.2%), whereas, it was lowest at 18 to 20 weeks (20%). CONCLUSION: Sonographic findings in patients with clinically diagnosed threatened abortion demonstrated viable pregnancies in around one-third of the cases. Use of ultrasound in clinically diagnosed threatened abortion may assist clinicians in establishing a definite diagnosis so that appropriate care could be offered to the patients.

Abortion, Threatened↗

PubMed1992

Socio-democratic characteristics of women presenting with abortion--a hospital based study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine socio-demographic characteristics and clinical features of women presenting with abortion, and to define factors associated with complications of abortion. DESIGN: A prospective descriptive study. SETTING: Women in Gynaecology casualty department at Harare Central Hospital, Harare, Zimbabwe. PATIENTS: 307 women with features of complete or incomplete abortion were interviewed during February to June 1991. They were randomly selected and represented 53pc of all women with the problem. RESULTS: Three quarters of the women were married and lived with their spouses. In 23.1pc this was a first pregnancy. Over a quarter of the women who were on the pill claimed to have fallen pregnant whilst on the pill, mainly because of poor compliance. One hundred and twenty-two were not on the pill but in only 16pc it was intended to fall pregnant. In nearly 30pc the pregnancy was not wanted but only 2.3pc admitted to having induced the abortion. Sepsis was present in 25.6pc and they tended to be younger, not presently married and have an unplanned pregnancy. Although there was some evidence of trauma in 6.2pc, it was not possible from the study to assess the percentage of abortion likely to have been induced. CONCLUSION: Contraceptive usage is generally low and cultural and traditional factors may play a role, but expanded sex education programmes and continued contraceptive counselling need reinforcing before attempts are made to review the legal issues regarding termination.

Abortion, Illegal↗

PubMed2005

Scaling up postabortion contraceptive service--results from a study conducted among women having unwanted pregnancies in urban and rural Tanzania.

INTRODUCTION: It is well recognized that unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortion are significant public health problems in sub-Saharan Africa. At the International Conference on Population and Development held in Cairo in 1994, postabortion care was prioritized as a means to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality associated with unsafe abortion. However, only a few postabortion care programs have been implemented and most of them have been confined to urban settings. The present study describes the magnitude of the problem of unwanted pregnancies among women with incomplete abortion in urban and rural Tanzania and evaluates the outcome of a postabortion care intervention. METHODS: Data were collected among 781 women admitted with incomplete abortion in Dar es Salaam region (urban Tanzania) and 575 women in Kagera region (rural Tanzania). RESULTS: Sixty-seven percent of the women in urban Tanzania and 42% in rural Tanzania stated that their pregnancy was unwanted. Contraceptive acceptance among women with unwanted pregnancies was high; 93% in urban Tanzania and 71% in rural Tanzania left with a contraceptive method. CONCLUSION: The high proportion of women with unwanted pregnancies in urban and rural Tanzania underlines the need of scaling up postabortion contraceptive service.

Abortion, Illegal↗

PubMed1996

A randomised comparison of oral and vaginal misoprostol for cervical priming before suction termination of pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness and acceptability of oral misoprostol, self-administered 12 h before surgery, as a cervical priming agent prior to day case suction termination of pregnancy. DESIGN: Randomised trial comparing oral misoprostol with the local standard regimen of vaginal misoprostol. SUBJECTS: Sixty consecutive women scheduled for day case suction termination in one gynaecology unit. INTERVENTIONS: Cervical priming with misoprostol 400 mg orally, 12 h prior to surgery or 800 mg vaginally, two to four hours prior to surgery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Basal cervical dilatation, cumulative force required to dilate the cervix to 9 mm, operative blood loss and side effects (nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding). RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the oral and vaginal treatment groups in relation to basal dilatation, cumulative force to achieve 9 mm dilatation or gastrointestinal side effects. However, those in the oral group experienced more severe pain and heavier pre-operative bleeding. Two patients in the oral group experienced incomplete abortion at home after taking misoprostol and a further patient required early admission because of heavy bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: Because of the unpredictability of action of oral misoprostol, with incomplete abortion or heavy bleeding occurring prior to admission in three patients, we cannot recommend the dosage schedule evaluated here for routine clinical use.

Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal↗

PubMed1999

Tamoxifen compared to methotrexate when used with misoprostol for abortion.

The purpose of this study was to compare tamoxifen to methotrexate, with respect to effectiveness, when followed by misoprostol to induce abortion. In the first phase, 198 women presenting for medical abortion at < 7 weeks gestation were randomized to receive either 40 mg of tamoxifen, followed 2 to 3 days later by 800 micrograms of misoprostol self-administered vaginally or 50 mg/m2 of methotrexate, followed 5 to 7 days later by the same dose of misoprostol. In the second phase, 200 women were randomized to receive 20 mg tamoxifen twice daily for 4 days, followed by 800 micrograms misoprostol or the same regimen of methotrexate and misoprostol as in phase 1. The main outcome measure was success rate determined by the number of women who aborted without surgery. In phase 1, the success rate was higher in the methotrexate group (93.0%) compared to the tamoxifen group (85.7%) (p = 0.045). In the tamoxifen group, nine of 98 women had incomplete abortions with symptoms requiring a surgical aspiration, compared to one of 100 women in the methotrexate group. In phase 2, the success rates were 90.9% in the methotrexate group compared to 84.7% in the tamoxifen group (p = 0.20). The side effects were less in the tamoxifen group in phase 1 but not in phase 2. When tamoxifen is given as a single dose, it is less effective than methotrexate but when it is given 20 mg twice daily for 4 days, there is no significant difference. Tamoxifen does not appear to have any benefits over methotrexate.

Abortion, Incomplete↗

PubMed2001

Mifepristone.

OBJECTIVE: To review the efficacy and safety of mifepristone (with misoprostol) for the termination of early pregnancy. DATA SOURCES: A MEDLINE search (1966-October 2000) was conducted, and additional references listed in articles were included; unpublished data obtained from the manufacturer were used to identify data from the scientific literature. Studies evaluating mifepristone were considered for inclusion. STUDY SELECTION: Human clinical studies in the English language were reviewed and evaluated. Clinical trials selected for detailed review were limited to those including the regimens of mifepristone and misoprostol, recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for early pregnancy termination. DATA SYNTHESIS: Mifepristone is an antiprogestin available for pregnancy termination in combination with a prostaglandin such as misoprostol. Mifepristone offers efficacy similar to, if not better than, other drugs used for pregnancy termination, but appears less efficacious overall than surgical termination of pregnancy. Mifepristone in combination with misoprostol commonly causes adverse effects such as abdominal pain and, less commonly, can cause serious adverse effects such as incomplete abortion; endometritis; and bleeding warranting transfusion, hospitalization, or surgery. Mifepristone is metabolized by the cytochrome P450 system. Thus, the potential for drug interactions with this agent exists, although this has not been well studied. Data are included from clinical trials evaluating the safety, tolerability, efficacy, and pharmacoeconomics of mifepristone combined with misoprostol for early pregnancy termination. Data comparing the use of these agents with surgical abortion and other drugs used for pregnancy termination are included where available. CONCLUSIONS: Mifepristone in combination with misoprostol for the termination of early pregnancy (amenorrhea of < or = 49 d) is effective in 92-95% of women. Incomplete abortion requiring surgical abortion after the fact occurs in 3-5% of women, and pregnancy continues 1-2% of the time. Mifepristone with misoprostol treatment is not without significant risks, including hemorrhage, infection, and potential for long-term emotional consequences.

Abortifacient Agents, Steroidal↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Midtrimester abortion with prostaglandin and hypertonic saline--a comparative study.

This study was conducted in Baroda, India, to evaluate and compare the safety and effectiveness of intraamniotic prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF2alpha) and 20% saline augmented with intravenous oxytocin for terminating 200 pregnancies of 14 to 20 weeks' gestation. While there was no method failure among the group treated with saline, ten method failures were reported for patients treated with the PGF2alpha. The rate of incomplete abortions was significantly lower for the group treated with saline (19.4%) than it was for the group treated with the PGF2alpha (33.7%). The administration of oxytocin after fetal expulsion did not reduce the rate of incomplete abortion. The mean instillation-to-abortion time was significantly lower with saline than with PGF2alpha. The incidence of gastrointestinal side effects and excessive bleeding (less than 200 ml) during the procedure was significantly higher for patients treated with PGF2alpha than for those treated with saline.

Abortion, Induced↗

PubMed2002

Oriéntame: preventing and solving problems related to unwanted pregnancy for 25 years in Colombia.

For over 25 years, the Oriéntame Foundation in Bogotá, Colombia, has been providing reproductive health services to women, regardless of their socio-economic or marital status, race, age or religious affiliation. Oriéntame started by focusing primarily on unwanted pregnancy and treatment for incomplete abortion, which has contributed to the reduction of maternal mortality in Bogotá. Oriéntame now provides comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services, including sexual health education, Pap smears, gynaecological problems, STIs and sexual violence, with a continuing emphasis on unwanted pregnancy, treatment for incomplete abortion and post-abortion care. The women that come to Oriéntame, some 18,000 per year in recent years, are from all socio-economic levels, and are increasingly more informed. The services are regularly re-evaluated so as to accommodate their changing needs. There is a sliding scale of fees, so that the 40% of women patients with higher incomes subsidize the 60% with lower incomes; this also allows the clinics to be self-supporting. Services are offered in an atmosphere of respect for women and their decisions, with professional staff who are trained to take care of both the medical and emotional needs of each woman. Since 1992, Oriéntame has also been doing outreach to the slum areas of Bogotá, providing education and information, to contribute to the empowerment of the poorest inhabitants of the city.

Colombia↗

PubMed1985

[Abortion induction in the 2d pregnancy trimester. Endocervical PGE2 gel administration, intramuscular sulprostone administration and combined (endocervical PGE2 gel/intramuscular sulprostone) treatment].

In 74 patients with normal pregnancy, termination of pregnancy was induced during 1980-1983 for medical reasons (12%) or for eugenic reasons (88%) in the second trimenon of pregnancy. We compared endocervical PG-E2 gel application (if necessary, several doses of 0.5 mg PG-E2 gel every 4-6 hours in 25 cases) with intramuscular application of sulproston (500 micrograms sulproston IM every 4-6 hours in 26 cases) and the combined endocervical application of PG-E2 gel (single administration of 0.5 mg PG-E2 gel endocervically) plus systemic application of sulproston (500 micrograms sulproston IM every 4-6 hours) in 23 cases. The average gestational age in the groups under comparison was 21 to 22 weeks of pregnancy. In the group with combined application, in endocervical PG-E2 gel application and systemic sulproston application IM, complete or incomplete abortion was seen after regular application within 20 hours in 100% of the cases. With regular PG-E2 gel application endocervically we found complete or incomplete abortion in only 79% of the cases within 36 hours, and with the IM application of sulproston in 94% of the cases under observation within 36 hours. Combined application of PG-E2 endocervically and systemic application of sulproston led to a statistically significant saving of sulproston (average total dose = 0.9 mg) together with significant reduction of the abortion induction interval to 8 hours after the first IM sulproston dose. (For comparison: Abortion induction interval after endocervical PG-E2 gel application = average 24.6 hours, and after IM sulproston application = average 15.9 hours).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Abortifacient Agents↗