Induction Of Abortion by the Intravenous Administration of Prostaglandin F 2x A Critical Evaluation

Prostaglandin F 2x was administered intravenously to 166 women for induction of legal abortion. The patients were subdivided into different treatment groups to investigate the relative importance of the administered dose and the duration of infusion at various stages of pregnancy. The results of different parameters were analysed statistically. The details of the clinical outcome were analysed according to a defined scoring system describing the actual events following a certain treatment plan. Early pregnancies (7‐8 weeks) were more susceptible to induction by PGF 2α infusion than later stages of gestation. The success rate in the 9th‐20th week of pregnancy was dose dependant as demonstrated by termination of pregnancy in 75% of the high dose (100 μg PC min) group and only 27% in the low dose group (50 μg per min). The duration of infusion was the second parameter of vital importance to achieve a satisfactory outcome. Infusion of a moderate dose (75 μg per min) for a period of 15 hours could induce a valuable clinical response in the form of cervical dilatation, yet the duration was too short to complete the abortion process. The frequency of vomiting and diarrhoea was an important complicating feature in the high dose group. The high dose necessary for an acceptable success rate is accompanied by a high incidence of distressing symptoms (an episode of vomiting or diarrhoea every second hour). This fact limits the routine clinical use of intravenous PGF 2α prostaglandins for induction of abortion.