Mifepristone may shorten the induction-to-abortion time for termination of second-trimester pregnancies by ethacridine lactate.

We reviewed our experience with adding mifepristone to the protocol for the termination of pregnancy up to 24 weeks of gestation by intra-amniotic ethacridine lactate. The study consisted of women who presented for the termination of a second-trimester pregnancy between August 2000 and July 2008. Of 1245 women who requested a termination of a second-trimester pregnancy, 744 women underwent the induction of abortion by intra-amniotic ethacridine lactate with mifepristone (mifepristone group), and 501 received intra-amniotic ethacridine lactate alone (control group). The proportion of women who delivered within 24 h was 25.94% in the mifepristone group and 10.18% in the control group (p < .001); the failure rate of abortion was 5.38% in the mifepristone group and 4.99% in the control group (p < .001). There was no significant difference in the complication rate between the two groups. The rate of cervical laceration was 0.54% in the mifepristone group and 0.60% in the control group (p = .9315). The rate of retained placental tissue was 6.99% in the mifepristone group and 6.19% in the control group (p = .1112). Nausea was reported by 34.0% of women in the mifepristone group and none in the control group. The addition of mifepristone to ethacridine lactate may shorten the induction-to-abortion time compared with the use of ethacridine lactate alone without increasing the number of complications.