For Medical Abortion, It’s All About Choice

Misoprostol is a prostaglandin analogue widely used to induce medical abortions. In this international, WHO-sponsored, randomized clinical trial, investigators evaluated the efficacy of three 0.8-mg doses of misoprostol given sublingually or vaginally at 3-hour or 12-hour intervals. No mifepristone was administered.

More than 2000 women with pregnancies of ≤63 days’ gestation were enrolled; only 20 women were lost to follow-up. At the 2-week follow-up, complete abortion had been achieved in 84% of the sublingual 3-hour group, 85% of the vaginal 3-hour group, 78% of the sublingual 12-hour group, and 83% of the vaginal 12-hour group; thus, all methods of administration except sublingual at 12-hour intervals had equivalent efficacy. The most co…