Change in serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin after abortion with methotrexate and misoprostol

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial paper looks at hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin).

The purpose of this study was to determine the normal beta-human chorionic gonadotropin change within 24 hours after a medical abortion.

Because a medical abortion creates a "miscarriage," these data can represent the serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin changes that would occur with a complete spontaneous abortion.

Knowledge of normal beta-human chorionic gonadotropin changes after a spontaneous abortion may help to differentiate within a 24-hour period a complete from an incomplete spontaneous abortion or an ectopic pregnancy.

Who Took Part

PubMed tags the participants as women only.

Patients from each of four trials were included in this analysis if (1) they received both methotrexate intramuscularly and misoprostol vaginally and (2) they had serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin levels drawn on both the day of misoprostol administration and the next day.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized study.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

Data from recent trials that used methotrexate and misoprostol for abortion at < or = 56 day's gestation were reviewed.

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal, Abortion, Induced, Administration, Intravaginal, Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human, Methotrexate and Misoprostol.

Author keywords: Abortion, Drug Induced--complications, Abortion, Induced--complications, Americas, Biology, California and Clinical Research.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized study of hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin).

Results are reported in around 6 sentences of the abstract; we leave them to the paper itself rather than summarise them.

The publication is from 1996 (American journal of obstetrics and gynecology), a journal based in United States.

More context: the hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) compound page, all human trials.