Hourly Oral Misoprostol Administration for Terminating Midtrimester Pregnancies: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Objective: This pilot study retrospectively evaluated the outcomes of medical induction of termination of midtrimester pregnancies with hourly oral misoprostol administration. Materials and Methods: Sixteen women with living fetuses, who had undergone pregnancy termination at 12-25 weeks of gestational age, were reviewed. The method of induction was hourly oral administration of misoprostol, given at doses of 200 μg/hr for the first 12 hours and 400 μg/hr after 12 hours until delivery. Data including the induction-to-delivery interval and total dosage of misoprostol were recorded and analyzed. Results: All 16 women successfully underwent vaginal termination within 36 hours. The median induction-to-delivery interval was 12.0 hours (range, 6.3-30.9 hours), with 13 women (81.3%) undergoing vaginal delivery within 24 hours. The median total dosage of misoprostol was 2,600 μg. The most common side effect was diarrhea, which was easily relieved by medication. Conclusion: Our preliminary results show that oral administration of misoprostol at hourly intervals is a promising method for terminating midtrimester pregnancies.

Keywords

• medical induction
• midtrimester pregnancy
• misoprostol