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Misoprostol Dose and Timing Before Surgical Abortion at 13 to 16 Weeks' Gestation: a Randomized Trial

Misoprostol Dose and Timing Before Surgical Abortion at 13 to 16 Weeks' Gestation: a Randomized Trial

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT02279914
Enrollment
118
Registered
2014-10-31
Start date
2014-11-30
Completion date
2016-08-31
Last updated
2021-04-26

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Abortion, Induced

Brief summary

This study is a blinded randomized trial to compare two different doses and intervals of buccal misoprostol for cervical preparation before surgical abortion at 13 to 16 weeks' gestation: 400 mcg administered 3 hours before D&E (dilation and extraction), and 600 mcg administered 1.5 hours before D&E. Primary objective: To compare operative times after two different doses and intervals of misoprostol using a non-inferiority design. Secondary objectives: To compare the doses and intervals of misoprostol for differences in: (1) initial cervical dilation; (2) need for mechanical dilation and ease of dilation if required; (3) ability to complete the abortion procedure without further cervical preparation; (4) complications; (5) provider variables including ease of procedure and satisfaction with cervical preparation; (6) patient variables including pre-operative side effects, post-operative pain, and acceptability

Detailed description

The investigators compared two doses and intervals of buccal misoprostol for cervical preparation before surgical abortion at 13 to 16 weeks' gestation. This blinded randomized trial compared 400 mcg misoprostol administered 3 hours and 600 mcg administered 1.5 hours before abortion. The investigators analyzed results for the primary outcome (procedure time) using a non-inferiority limit of 3 or more minutes. The investigators tested two separate non-inferiority hypotheses each powered at 95% (2.5% confidence interval) for two gestational age groups: 13.0-14.3 and 14.4-15.6 weeks. Assuming 10% withdrawals, the investigators required 118 participants. Secondary outcomes included mechanical dilation, complications, provider satisfaction, and patient side effects and acceptability.

Interventions

DRUGMisoprostol 400 mcg 3 hours prior to procedure

Misoprostol 400 mcg 3 hours prior to D&E procedure

DRUGMisoprostol 600 mcg 90 minutes prior to procedure

Misoprostol 600 mcg 90 minutes prior to D&E procedure

Sponsors

Planned Parenthood of Greater New York
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Caregiver)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* 18 years of age and older * Eligible for pregnancy termination at Planned Parenthood of NYC * Able to give informed consent * English speaking

Exclusion criteria

* Reports active bleeding, severe pain, or symptoms of spontaneous labor at enrollment * Intrauterine fetal demise identified on pre-operative ultrasound * Allergy to misoprostol

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
procedure timeday of abortion procedureOperative time defined as time from speculum in vagina to speculum out of vagina.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026