ABSTRACT
Abortion-related mortality and morbidity rise in relation to increasing gestation (1,2). In most countries in Western Europe and North America, two-thirds of complications occur during termination of pregnancy after 12 weeks, which only account for 10% to 15% of abortions. Lots of efforts have been made to formulate a safe and effective regimen in order to reduce the abortion-related complications. Medical methods involving the use of synthetic prostaglandin (PG) analogues alone or in combination with mifepristone have become the most widely adopted regimens nowadays. Surgical method by dilatation and evacuation (D and E), preceded by cervical preparation, is also proven to be safe and effective for second trimester termination of pregnancy when undertaken by experienced specialists with access to the necessary instruments (3). Again, mifepristone and synthetic PG analogues are the useful cervical priming agents prior to the procedure (4-6).
