title: A randomised study of misoprostol and gemeprost in combination with mifepristone for induction of abortion in the second trimester of pregnancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the effectiveness of gemeprost and misoprostol as prostaglandins used in combination with mifepristone for induction of mid-trimester termination.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomised trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Scottish teaching hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred women undergoing abortion between 12 and 20 weeks.
  
  
  METHODS
  Each woman received 200 mg mifepristone and 36-48 hours later either 1 mg gemeprost vaginal pessary every 6 hours for 18 hours or 4 x 200 microg misoprostol tablets vaginally followed by 2 x 200 microg misoprostol tablets orally every 3 hours for 12 hours. Success was defined as the percentage of women aborted within 24 hours of the first administration of prostaglandin.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prostaglandin-abortion interval and side effects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant differences in median prostaglandin-abortion interval between gemeprost (6.6 hours 95% CI 6.0-10.7) and misoprostol (6.1 hours 95% CI 5.5-7.5) (P = 0.22). The cumulative abortion rates at 24 hours (96% vs 94%, respectively), the surgical evacuation rates (12% and 10%) and the incidence of vomiting, diarrhoea and pain were similar.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Two hundred milligrammes of mifepristone followed 36-48 hours later by either vaginal gemeprost or misoprostol is a highly effective way of inducing abortion in the second trimester of pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Reproductive Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bartley
authors.forename: David T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Baird
mesh_terms: D000020:Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000379:methods*; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000527:Alprostadil / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015735:Mifepristone / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D016595:Misoprostol / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D010570:Pessaries; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D013607:Tablets
chemical_list: D000020:Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal; D013607:Tablets; D016595:Misoprostol; D015735:Mifepristone; C021182:gemeprost; D000527:Alprostadil