Mifepristone and Misoprostol vs Misoprostol Alone in Second Trimester Termination of Pregnancy

INTRODUCTION: During the last decade, medical methods for second trimester abortion have considerably improved and become safe and more accessible. The combination of mifepristone and misoprostol is now an established and highly effective method for second trimester abortion. But where mifepristone is not available or affordable, misoprostol alone has also been shown to be effective. The objective of this study is to compare the efficacy of mifepristone with misoprostol and misoprostol alone for second trimester termination of pregnancy. METHODS: It is a comparative study conducted on 60 patients from 13 to 18 weeks of gestation admitted for second trimester termination on legal indications. RESULTS: Mean induction abortion interval was comparable in both the groups. Of the 30 cases in each group, nine cases in each Group A and six cases in Group B had incomplete/failed expulsion. Among these 15 cases, only nine required check curettage for complete evacuation while others received oxytocics only for completion. The distribution of these cases was also comparable in both the groups. Only one patient in Group B had complete failure of expulsion and underwent surgical evacuation. However, the difference in dosage of misoprostol required for complete expulsion and incidence of side effects were significantly higher in the group B. CONCLUSIONS: Mifepristone and misoprostol combined together is now an established, highly effective and safe method for medical method of second trimester termination. However, when mifepristone is not available or affordable, misoprostol alone can also be used effectively, although a higher total dose is needed and side effects are higher than with the combined regimen.