title: Alternatives to mifepristone for early medical abortion.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review published reports of first-trimester medical abortion regimens that do not include mifepristone.
  
  
  METHODS
  Reports listed in Pubmed and Medline on prospective and controlled trials of the efficacy of misoprostol, alone or associated with methotrexate, for first-trimester abortion were analyzed if they included more than 100 participants and were published since 1990.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The efficacy of regimens using misoprostol alone ranged from 84% to 96%, and when misoprostol was used with methotrexate the efficacy ranged from 70% to 97%. Efficacy rates were influenced by follow-up interval. Treatment for infection, bleeding, and incomplete abortion were infrequent with both methods (0.3%-5%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Alone or in combination with methotrexate, misoprostol is an efficacious alternative to mifepristone for the medical termination of pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA. Nilda.Moreno@bmc.org
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Moreno-Ruiz
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Borgatta
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yanow
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kapp
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Wiebe
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Winikoff
mesh_terms: D000021:Abortifacient Agents, Steroidal; D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000379:methods*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015735:Mifepristone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First
chemical_list: D000021:Abortifacient Agents, Steroidal; D015735:Mifepristone; D008727:Methotrexate