A RANDOMIZED TRIAL COMPARING MISOPROSTOL 3 AND 7 DAYS AFTER METHOTREXATE FOR EARLY ABORTION

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine whether vaginal misoprostol 7 days rather than 3 days after methotrexate injection increases the per cent of successful abortions on the day of misoprostol administration. STUDY DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial was performed in women re questing an abortion at less than or equal to 56 days' gestation. Eigh ty-six women were treated with methotrexate 50 mg/m(2) intramuscularly followed 3 days (group 1) or 7 days (group 2) later by vaginal misopr ostol 800 mu g The misoprostol dose was repeated if the abortion did n ot occur. RESULTS: Complete abortion occurred in 38 of 46 (83%) patien ts in group 1 and 39 of 40 (98%) in group 2 (p = 0.033). Of the women with complete abortions, 30 of 46 (65%) in group 1 and 27 of 40 (68%) in group 2 aborted the same day as the first or second dose of misopro stol (p = 0.823). Vaginal bleeding lasted 14 +/- 5 (mean +/- SD) days in group 1 and 17 +/- 9 days in group 2. The remaining women aborted a fter a delay of 24 +/- 6 days in group 1 and 28 +/- 13 days in group 2 . For these women vaginal bleeding lasted 18 +/- 17 and 14 +/- 7 days, respectively, and the human chorionic gonadotropin-p level was less t han or equal to 25 IU/L by 22 +/- 7 days after the abortion in group 1 and 19 +/- 9 days in group 2. Treatment failures in group 1 were four continuing pregnancies (9%), two incomplete abortions (4%), and two w omen who requested surgical termination after receiving both medicatio ns (4%). The treatment failure in group 2 was an incomplete abortion. Methotrexate and misoprostol side effects were infrequent., CONCLUSION S: Methotrexate and vaginal misoprostol are more effective abortifacie nts when the misoprostol is given 7 days rather than 3 days after meth otrexate, This treatment regimen may offer an alternative to surgical abortion or the use of antiprogestins and prostaglandin for medical ab ortion.