Comparison of Mifepristone Followed by Misoprostol with Misoprostol Alone for Treatment of Early Pregnancy Failure: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial

Objective

To compare the efficacy and safety of mifepristone followed by misoprostol with misoprostol alone in the management of early pregnancy failure (EPF).

Study Design

A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Methods

Ninety-two women with EPF ≤12 weeks were recruited and randomly allocated to receive either mifepristone 200 mg (n = 46) or placebo (n = 46). Forty-eight hours later, patients in both the groups were given 800 µg misoprostol per-vaginum. If no expulsion occurred within 4 h, repeat doses of 400 µg misoprostol were given orally at 3-hourly interval to a maximum of 2 doses in women ≤9 weeks by scan and 4 doses in women >9 weeks by scan.

Results

Pre-treatment of misoprostol with mifepristone significantly increased the complete abortion rate (86.7 vs. 57.8%, p = 0.009) and, hence, reduced the need for surgical evacuation (13.3 vs. 42.2%, p = 0.002), induction to expulsion interval (4.74 ± 2.24 vs. 8.03 ± 2.77 h, p = 0.000), mean number of additional doses of misoprostol required (0.68 vs. 1.91, p = 0.000), and side effects.

Conclusion

Use of mifepristone prior to misoprostol in EPF significantly improves the efficacy and reduces the side effects of misoprostol alone.