Cervical preparation with laminaria tents improves induction-to-delivery interval in second- and third-trimester medical termination of pregnancy.

Background: The purpose of our study was to determine whether cervical preparation with laminaria tents would improve the procedure of second- and third-trimester medical termination of pregnancy (TOP) in terms of duration of abortion and hospitalization.

Study: A retrospective comparative study of two historical periods of women undergoing second- and third-trimester medical TOP at a single tertiary care center from September 2004 to December 2006 was conducted. During Period A, patients received oral mifepristone and vaginal misoprostol, while during Period B, laminaria tents were added.