Intrauterine prostaglandin E2 as an postconceptional abortifacient

1. Thirty-eight pregnant women, 2 to 33 days overdue with a menstrual period, were treated with a single intrauterine injection of PGE2. 2. Abortion occurred in 7 of 12 patients (58.3%) treated with PGE2 100 mug and in 22 of 26 patients (84.6%) given PGE2 500 mug. 3. The only side effect was uterine pain requiring analgesia in four of the former and 15 of the latter. Four patients required curettage to control bleeding.