General Obstetrics and Gynecology ObstetricsProphylactic administration of progesterone by vaginal suppository to reduce the incidence of spontaneous preterm birth in women at increased risk: A randomized placebo-controlled double-blind study☆,☆☆
Section snippets
Material and methods
This study was performed in the Obstetrics Clinic, at Hospital das Clinicas, University of Sao Paulo Medical School, a tertiary medical center, in Brazil. A consent form was signed after detailed information was given to every pregnant women. The study was approved by the Ethical Commission of this hospital.
Data available at the start of the study showed that the preterm birth rate in the Obstetrics Clinic, Hospital das Clinicas, University of Sao Paulo Medical School, was 25%.12 Although some
Results
Of 142 cases, there were 30 preterm births (21.1%). The incidence of preterm delivery in the progesterone group was 13.8% (10/72) and 28.5% (20/70) in the placebo group. When comparing these two groups, we observed a statistically significant difference in the preterm delivery rate (P = .03).
As shown in Table II, the two groups were found similar in regard to age, risk factors for preterm delivery, and obstetric history.Empty Cell Placebo (n = 70) Progesterone (n =
Comment
The results of this study confirm the findings of other studies reporting that progesterone is effective in preventing preterm delivery.20, 21, 22, 23, 24 The real mechanism of action of this drug is not well known; however, its clinical usefulness was shown in our study by the decrease in the incidence of preterm birth from 28.1% in the placebo group to 13.8% in the progesterone group.
The difference between the two groups could not be explained in terms of epidemiologic characteristics,
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2022, American Journal of Obstetrics and GynecologyVaginal progesterone compared with intramuscular 17-alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate for prevention of recurrent preterm birth in singleton gestations: a systematic review and meta-analysis
2022, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology MFMVaginal progesterone vs intramuscular 17-hydroxyprogesterone caproate for prevention of recurrent preterm birth: a randomized controlled trial
2022, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
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Supported by FAPESP.
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Reprint requests: Eduardo B. da Fonseca, MD, University of Sao Paulo Medical School, Obstetric Clinic, Av 11 de junho, 1006 apto 133, Vila Clementino, Sao Paulo-SP, 04041-003, Brazil. E-mail: [email protected]