Rectal vs. sublingual misoprostol in cesarean section: Three‑arm, randomized clinical trial

BACKGROUND: Misoprostol is a myometrial stimulant with uterotonic properties and can be administered rectally, vaginally, or sublingually. Numerous studies have investigated the effect of misoprostol on the prevention and treatment of PPH (postpartum hemorrhage) after vaginal delivery, but its use to control PPH during cesarean section has not been widely studied. METHODS: In this clinical trial study, 180 pregnant women who were candidates for cesarean section were included in the study. They were divided into 3 groups of 60 people (sublingual misoprostol group, rectal misoprostol group, control group). In all three groups, the volume of blood lost was recorded in the checklist at the end of surgery. Data were entered into SPSS software and analyzed. RESULTS: The mean bleeding in the control group was 225.4±63.9, while it was 137.9±33.8 and 118.9±28.5 in the sublingual misoprostol group and rectal misoprostol group, respectively. We had significantly more bleeding in the control group (p<0.001) compared to the other two groups. CONCLUSION: These results confirm the positive effect of misoprostol in reducing bleeding and show the superiority of using rectal misoprostol compared to other methods of reducing bleeding during cesarean section.