A Pilot Study of Priming Before Induction Termination of Pregnancy

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2007-07-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: Female

Summary

Induction termination of pregnancy (second trimester abortion) has a median time of 14 hours from the start of medication (misoprostol) to expulsion of the fetus. The objective of this study is to evaluate a method of 'priming' on the length of induction termination of pregnancy. "Priming" refers to the use of medication to ready the cervix and uterus so that the uterus is more sensitive to medication and contracts more effectively, and also refers to softening of the cervix so that there is less resistance to dilation. Priming is used extensively before induction of labor for term pregnancy and is also used extensively before surgical abortion in second trimester. We would like to add priming the evening before induction to the usual treatment and evaluate whether the length of the induction process is shortened. Women are admitted to the hospital in the morning to start misoprostol medication, and unless expulsion occurs within 8-10 hours, need to stay overnight.

The study design is to give the priming dose 12 hours before admission. The outcome of interest is the induction time from the first dose on misoprostol in the hospital to expulsion of the fetus.

This study aims to assess whether the use of misoprostol as a priming agent would be beneficial with women who undergo induction termination of pregnancy.

• Phase: N/A
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Boston University
• Treatments: Misoprostol

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18 years of age or over

• able to give informed consent in English or Spanish

• requesting termination of pregnancy

• pregnancy 18-23 weeks of gestation

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unable to understand and give informed consent

• Under 18 years of age

• Pregnancy less than 18 weeks or over 23 weeks on the day of enrollment

• Ruptured membranes or signs of infection (temperature over 100.6 F,WBC >15K)

• Fetal demise, Multi-fetal pregnancy contraindication to misoprostol

• contraindication to misoprostol