Comparative Study of Sublingual versus Vaginal Misoprostol for Induction of Labour

Abstract

Background: For majority of women labor starts spontaneously at or near term and result in vaginal delivery, however because of medical or obstetrics complications of pregnancy, labor induction is often required. Subjects and Methods: 72 pregnant women at term in department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the subjects were randomly assigned into two groups sublingual versus vaginal misoprostol (50 mcg) given every 6 hrs. Results: The mean age of patients was 24.48±8.67 years in sublingual group and 25.02±8.97 years in the vaginal group. The mean period of gestation was 38.26±11.23 weeks in sublingual and 38.86±1.33 weeks in the vaginal group. The mean Bishop was 3.42±1.07 in sublingual group and 3.72±1.72 in the vaginal group. Conclusion: Induction of labor, vaginal misoprostol is preferable to sublingual misoprostol when used in equivalent dosage of 50 mcg.