Two regimens of misoprostol for treatment of incomplete abortion

Misoprostol shows promise for treatment of incomplete abortion. We evaluated 2 simple misoprostol regimens to estimate whether they were effective in treating incomplete abortion.

A total of 169 women was randomly assigned to either a single or double dose of 600 microg misoprostol. The women, who would have received a surgical evacuation of the uterus for incomplete abortion, were patients at 2 hospitals in Bangkok, Thailand. The 2 groups of women were compared for success of treatment (no need for surgical evacuation), side effects, and acceptability.

Sixty-six percent of women in the single-dose group and 70% of women in the double-dose group had complete abortions with misoprostol. More than 90% of women in the single- and double-dose groups reported that the side effects were tolerable; frequency of side effects was similar between the 2 groups. Women found the treatment acceptable. Approximately 90% of women in both groups would recommend the treatment to a friend. Acceptability and efficacy were different at the 2 participating clinics.

Misoprostol is an effective treatment for incomplete abortion. Simple regimens may be as effective as more complicated ones and a single dose of 600 microg should be further evaluated in larger trials.