Abstract
Background: Cervical preparation is recommended before second-trimester abortion. We investigated the use of a pharmacologic method of preparation, mifepristone, as compared to osmotic dilators for surgical abortions at 14-16 weeks. Study Design: This was a randomized, parallel-group study with concealed allocation. Women were allocated to receive osmotic dilators or mifepristone 200 mg orally 24 h prior to abortion. The study population was 50 women seeking surgical abortion at 14-16 menstrual weeks in a hospital-based abortion service. The primary outcome was the length of time to perform the procedure; the study had 80% power to detect a difference of more than 3 min in procedure time. Secondary outcomes included cervical dilation, side effects and acceptability. Results: The mean abortion time for the osmotic dilator group was 8.00 min [95% confidence interval (CI) 6.75-11.47], and that for the mifepristone group was 9.87 min (95% CI 8.93-11.36). Side effects of pain were more common in the osmotic dilator group. Conclusion: Mifepristone did not increase the time for abortion by more than the prespecified margin (3 min). Women preferred mifepristone to osmotic dilators.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 567-571 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Contraception |
Volume | 86 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 2012 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Abortion
- Cervical priming
- Laminaria
- Mifepristone
- Osmotic dilators
- Second trimester
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Reproductive Medicine
- Obstetrics and Gynecology