Does feticide shorten termination duration in second trimester pregnancy terminations?

Backround: A retrospective (case-controlled) study was conducted with the aim of identifying the effect of the use of misoprostol on termination time in patients who did and did not undergo feticide procedures in second trimester pregnancy terminations.

Methods: The sampling of the study consisted of 144 pregnant women who were diagnosed as having major fetal anomalies incompatible with life, and were recommended for termination of pregnancy. The investigation showed that feticide procedures were performed for 99 women, and feticide procedures were not performed for 45 women. Misoprostol protocol was administered for 48 hours in the termination period; whether the feticide procedure directly affected the termination duration in patients who did and did not undergo feticide was evaluated.

Results: Abortion/birth was achieved in 103 (71.5%) women during the first 48 hours. There was no significant difference between the termination duration of the misoprostol protocol among the women who did and did not undergo feticide. There was no significant difference between the termination durations and fetal biometric measurements (BPD, HC) except head diameters (p=0.020 and p=0.015).

Conclusions: The misoprostol protocol is shown to be effective and safe for the termination of pregnancies during the second trimester. Feticide has no affect on the duration of termination.