Two cervical preparation regimens prior to surgical abortion at 10–14 weeks of gestation: A randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Background: The aim of the study was to determine whether same-day cervical preparation with an osmotic dilator and misoprostol was as effective and safe as overnight cervical preparation for surgical abortions at 10–14 weeks.

Methods: Seventy women seeking surgical abortion at 10–14 weeks were allocated to receive one osmotic dilator 16–17 h or 6–7 h prior to an abortion. All women received misoprostol 400 μg orally 2 h before the abortion.

Results: The abortion time of the same-day group was 7.42 ± 1.73 min, and that of the overnight group was 8.00 ± 2.19 min (p = 0.23). The blood loss volume of the same-day group was 20.6 ± 10.6 mL, and that of the overnight group was 16.3 ± 7.0 mL (p = 0.55). The degree of cervical dilation for the same-day group was inferior to the overnight group (p = 0.02).

Conclusions: Same-day cervical preparation with misoprostol and an osmotic dilator shortens the hospitalization days, suggesting same-day cervical preparation is safe, effective, and feasible for surgical abortion at 10–14 weeks of gestation.

Keywords:

• Cervical preparation
• misoprostol
• osmotic dilator
• surgical abortion

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by a fund from the Family Planning Commission Project of Zhejiang, China (No.JSW2013-B014).