Induction of labour with intravaginal misoprostol in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.

Objective: To confirm the effectiveness of misoprostol as a labour-induction agent.
Design and Setting: One hundred and ten consecutive second- and third-trimester hospital patients. Patients with intra-uterine deaths (group A) received 100 micrograms misoprostol 4-hourly and those with live fetuses (group B) 50 micrograms misoprostol 4-hourly until labour commenced.
Subjects: Forty-eight patients in group A (group A1 second trimester 27, group A2 third trimester 21); 62 mainly hypertensive patients in group B.
Outcome Measures: These were the amount of misoprostol required to induce labour; duration of induction and labour; success and completeness of vaginal delivery; neonatal outcome; and cost.
Results: In group A1, labour was successfully induced in 21/27 (77.8%) patients with 157.4 micrograms misoprostol; and in 19/21 (90.5%) patients in group A2 with 128.9 micrograms misoprostol. Cost per successful induction was R0.55 and R0.44 respectively. Mean induction times were 13.2 hours and 13.4 hours respectively. All patients delivered vaginally but incompletely in 7/21 group A1 and 1/19 group A2 patients. In group A2, the mean duration of labour was 5.97 hours. In group B induction was successful in 51/62 (82%) with 95.1 micrograms of misoprostol; the mean cost was R0,32. Twelve out of 51 (23%) received oxytocin and 44/51 delivered vaginally. Mean duration of induction was 11.4 hours and of labour 5.4 hours. Two babies had low Apgar scores. There were two stillbirths (perinatal mortality rate 39.2/1000), both apparently unrelated to misoprostol.
Conclusions: Misoprostol is an effective, easy to use, apparently safe and cheap drug for the induction of labour.