Skip Navigation


Hum. Reprod. Advance Access originally published online on July 21, 2005
Human Reproduction 2005 20(11):3062-3066; doi:10.1093/humrep/dei196
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF ) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
20/11/3062    most recent
dei196v1
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (7)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Tang, O. S.
Right arrow Articles by Ho, P. C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Tang, O. S.
Right arrow Articles by Ho, P. C.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oupjournals.org

A prospective randomized comparison of sublingual and oral misoprostol when combined with mifepristone for medical abortion at 12–20 weeks gestation

Oi Shan Tang1,1, Carina C.W. Chan, Anita S.Y. Kan and Pak Chung Ho

1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China

1 To whom correspondence should be addressed: 6/F, Professorial Block, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, 102, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China. E-mail: ostang{at}graduate.hku.hk

BACKGROUND: Sublingual misoprostol has been shown to be effective in medical abortion. A prospective double-blinded placebo-controlled trial was done to compare the efficacy and side-effects of sublingual to oral misoprostol when used with mifepristone for medical abortion from 12 to 20 weeks gestation. METHODS: A total of 120 women at 12–20 weeks of gestation were randomized to receive 200 mg oral mifepristone followed by either sublingual or oral misoprostol 400 mg every 3 h for a maximum of five doses 36–48 h later. The course of misoprostol was repeated if the woman did not abort within 24 h. RESULTS: There was no significant difference (P = 0.43) in the success rate at 24 h [relative risk = 1.075; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.94–1.19]. Abortion occurred in 91.4% in the sublingual group (95% CI: 81.0–96.7%) as compared to 85.0% (95% CI: 73.7–92.1%) in the oral group. The median induction-to-abortion interval was significantly shorter (P = 0.009) in the sublingual group (5.5 h) as compared to the oral group (7.5 h). The incidence of fever was higher in the sublingual group (P < 0.0001). The incidences of other side-effects were similar. CONCLUSION: Sublingual misoprostol, when combined with mifepristone, is effective for medical abortion in the second trimester. The induction-to-abortion interval is shorter when sublingual misoprostol is used when compared to oral misoprostol.

Key words: abortion/misoprostol/oral/second trimester/sublingual


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Hum Reprod UpdateHome page
S. Lalitkumar, M. Bygdeman, and K. Gemzell-Danielsson
Mid-trimester induced abortion: a review
Hum. Reprod. Update, January 1, 2007; 13(1): 37 - 52.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.