Progesterone doesn’t lower Risk of Recurrent Miscarriage: Study

Giving progesterone to women does not help in preventing recurrent miscarriage, as per a study on Wednesday. Women who have had three of more miscarriages could not avail the benefits of progesterone, the study said.

Earlier, it was assumed that giving supplemental progesterone to pregnant women in first trimester could reduce the chances of miscarriage. Some past studies have even proposed that risk of recurrent miscarriages could be lowered in women with a history of miscarriages by giving progesterone.

The new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine suggested that about 66% women who were given progesterone gave birth to a child, compared with about 63% in control group. The study included over 800 women from 36 locations in Britain, and nine sites in Netherlands. The participants did not know whether they were receiving progesterone.

Dr. Samantha M. Pfeifer from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine who wasn’t part of the study said the findings are eye-openers. It is the first well-designed study on the matter, she added.

Sometimes, it is difficult to see results that are disappointing, the doctor added. “The negative result is sure to dismay patients, but it comes with a silver lining, experts said. Couples should take solace in the impressive result that more than half of these women had a live birth”, she said.

According to Dr. Arri Coomarasamy, professor of gynecology from the University of Birmingham and lead author of the study, it has been found that supplemental progesterone doesn’t result in increased congenital abnormalities.