A practical approach to the prevention of miscarriage: Part 1--Progesterone therapy

To show evidence that progesterone therapy is useful in preventing miscarriages in women who are more prone to having them.

Vaginal progesterone therapy was evaluated in women with a previous history of miscarriage or in women with infertility related to luteal phase defects.

The results favor the benefit of using progesterone to diminish the risk of miscarriage. Other methods of stimulating progesterone production, e.g., human chorionic injections, are also effective.

Progesterone therapy, especially when given vaginally, is effective with few side-effects and is safe. Thus the evidence suggests that one should err on the side of over-treatment rather than under-treatment in certain circumstances, e.g., advanced woman's age, previous history of miscarriage, or the use of follicle maturing drugs.