Abstract
A single intravaginal insertion of a long acting 3 mg 15(S)-15-methyl-prostaglandin F 2a methyl ester suppository successfully induced abortion in 34 of 39 patients between the 8th and the 19 weeks of gestation. The mean abortion time was 15.38 hours, parous patients aborted somewhat faster than nulliparous patients, 14.69 hours versus 17.03 hours. There were five failures, who all were aborted utilizing a different technique. The plasma levels of 15-me-PGF 2a methyl ester in the 14 patients studied varied widely, but none of the patients had any detectable levels until 2 hours after the suppository insertion. The maximum level was achieved at 12 hours, but there was only a slight increase in the plasma level from 8 to 12 hours. These levels correlated well with the side effects which were more frequent at that time. There were no clear correlation between the plasma levels of 15-me-PGF 2a methyl ester and the abortion time. Vomiting and diarrhea were the most common side effects, they were in general well tolerated by the patients. A single insertion of a 3 mg 15-me-PGF 2a methyl ester suppository appears to be an effective means of abortion induction, but additional studies are required to determine if 3 mg is the optimal dose of the prostaglandin suppositories.
Published Version
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