Perinatology.  2016 Dec;27(4):205-215. 10.14734/PN.2016.27.4.205.

Progesterone Treatment for Prevention of Preterm Birth

• Seol HJ
• Choi SJ
• Oh SY

• KMID: 2367031
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.14734/PN.2016.27.4.205

Abstract

Preterm birth is the main cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity worldwide. Although many attempts and clinical trials have conducted to prevent preterm birth during the past decades, no convincing strategy was developed so far. In this background, there is no doubt that the research area under the spotlight in recent ten years was about progesterone treatment in women at high risk for preterm birth including prior preterm birth and short cervical length. This rigorous review aimed to provide the most updated knowledge on progesterone treatment for the prevention of preterm birth for physicians and included the history and the proposed mechanism of progesterone treatment, summary of clinical trials of progesterone treatment in singleton and twin gestation with prior spontaneous preterm birth and short cervical length, respectively. It also adduces long term outcomes in infants whose mother exposed to progesterone treatment during pregnancy and presents current evidence on comparison between intramuscular versus vaginal progesterone for the prevention of recurrent preterm birth.

Keyword

Preterm birth; Progesterone; Prior preterm birth; Short cervical length; Twin

MeSH Terms

Female
Humans
Infant
Infant Mortality
Mothers
Pregnancy
Premature Birth*
Progesterone*
Twins
Progesterone

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