Termination of second trimester pregnancy with sulprostone and mifepristone: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial.

A prospective randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial was conducted in 13 subjects to find out whether mifepristone treatment could facilitate termination of second trimester pregnancy by sulprostone. The women received either 600 mg oral mifepristone or placebo tablets 36 hours before the administration of intramuscular sulprostone 0.5 mg every 6 hours. The median interval between the administration of sulprostone and abortion in the mifepristone group (4.6 hours) was significantly shorter than that in the placebo group (20 hours). The amount of sulprostone required was also significantly less in the mifepristone group. There was no significant difference in the incidence of side effects or analgesic requirement between the two groups. We conclude that oral mifepristone is useful in facilitating termination of second trimester pregnancies by sulprostone.