Efficacy and Safety of Letrozole, Misoprostol and Their Combination in First Trimester Missed Miscarriage: A randomised clinical trial

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Authors: Mohamed Fikry Yousef, Mamdouh Abdelfatah Sheeba, Hany Saad Amin Mohamed, Abdelrahman Adel Abdelmonem Salama, Ahmed Hassan, Marwan Taghian, Mahmoud Mostafa Hassan Ali, Ahmed Ragab Ebrahim Ragab, Ahmed Hassan, Amira Alasmer, Mohamed Mohamed
Cited by: 1

Abstract

Objectives: This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of misoprostol, letrozole and their combination in first trimester missed miscarriage. Methods: This single-blind, randomised controlled trial was conducted between March 2023 and August 2024 among women diagnosed with first trimester missed miscarriage at Kasr Al-Aini Hospital, Cairo, Egypt. Participants were randomly assigned to three groups: misoprostol-only (Group A), letrozole plus misoprostol (Group B) and letrozole-only (Group C). The primary outcome was the rate of complete miscarriage. Secondary outcomes included abortion timing, adverse effects, need for surgical evacuation and the effect of age, body mass index (BMI) and gestational age on success. Results: = 0.0005). Early abortion (by day 4) occurred in 68.4% (group B), 46.5% (group A) and 37.5% (group C). Group B also had the highest incidence of adverse effects, particularly bleeding (85.3%) and pain (92.0%), although severe events were rare. Letrozole-only (group C) had the fewest side effects (26.7%) and required no surgical evacuations. Combination therapy proved most effective across subgroups by age, BMI and gestational age. Conclusion: Combining letrozole with misoprostol significantly improves complete miscarriage rates with tolerable safety. Letrozole alone is safer but less effective. Thus, combination therapy may offer an optimal non-surgical strategy for individualised management.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Reproductive System and Pregnancy Reproductive Health and Contraception Ovarian function and disorders

Publication details

Journal / source
Sultan Qaboos University medical journal
Publisher
Sultan Qaboos University
Volume
26
Issue
1
Pages
84–91
Publication date
29 January 2026
Language
EN