Medical abortion from 12 through 14 weeks' gestation: a retrospective study with 126 patients

Objective

To assess the efficacy of medical abortion performed according to a single protocol from 12 through 14 weeks.

Study design

Retrospective observational study of medical abortions from 12 through 14 weeks performed from January 2007 through March 2009. The protocol combined 600 mg de mifepristone orally, followed 48 h later by 400 μg of misoprostol, administered orally, and repeated after 3 h, four times a day (during two days), if patient did not begin to abort. Outcome measures were the abortion rate, the rate of complication, the rate of manual uterine revision or vacuum aspiration, the time of expulsion and the misoprostol dose.

Results

The study included 126 medical abortions. The abortion rate was 98% and the secondary manual revision or vacuum aspiration rate was 41%. The mean time to expulsion was 10.4 (± 8.8) h, and the mean misoprostol dose 1040 (± 420) μg. Higher parity was significantly correlated with shorter time to expulsion (P = 0.02).

Conclusion

Medical abortion was consistently effective from 12 through 14 weeks but with high rate of secondary manual revision or vacuum aspiration.