Comparative Efficacy of Different Misoprostol Administration Routes in Medical Abortion: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: Investigating accessible and secure procedures for medical abortion is crucial in poor nations. Misoprostol is frequently used in obstetrics and gynecology to induce abortion, prime the cervical mucosa, and perform medical abortions. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of various misoprostol administration methods in medical abortion.Patients and Methods: Women seeking pregnancy termination within the gestational age limit of the study were recruited and randomly assigned to one of four groups: oral, sublingual, vaginal, or buccal administrations; a sample size of 112 was planned to detect a 4-hour reduction in abortion time. Statistical analysis was performed using R software for Windows.Results: Among the various administrative groups, the success percentages differed. The groups who received the medication orally (92%), sublingually (95%), vaginally (90%), and buccally (93%) all had success rates relative to each other. Nonetheless, P> 0.05 indicated no statistically significant difference in the success rates across the groups.Conclusion: All misoprostol administration routes showed high success rates for abortion induction with minimal need for additional interventions. However, sublingual misoprostol demonstrated the most favorable profile with the lowest need for further interventions and average side effect rates.