Success rate of second-trimester termination of pregnancy using misoprostol

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and maternal side effects of misoprostol usage for second trimester termination in Siriraj Hospital. Study design: Descriptive cross sectional study. Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University Material and Method: The medical records of 94 pregnant women, between 14-28 weeks of gestation, who were admitted for medical termination of pregnancy, were reviewed. Each patient received 400 □g of misoprostol vaginally every 12 hours as recommended by RTCOG for termination of pregnancy. Main outcome measures included success rate of abortion within 48 hours, induction to abortion interval and maternal side effects. Results: The success rate of abortion within 48 hours was 89.46%. Mean induction to abortion interval was 22.1 hours. The most common maternal side effect was fever (24.5%). The rate of incomplete abortion was 28.6% of successful cases. No factor, including age, parity and viability of fetus affected the success rate significantly. No serious maternal complication was detected. Conclusion: Misoprostol 400 □g vaginally every 12 hours can be used effectively and safely for second trimester pregnancy termination.