Hisham. Role of PG in TM and Idiopathic RM
Hisham. Role of PG in TM and Idiopathic RM
Hisham. Role of PG in TM and Idiopathic RM
Hisham Arab 1 Abstract: It is well known that progesterone plays a major role in the maintenance of
Ahmed Jaber Alharbi 2 pregnancy, particularly during the early stages, as it is responsible for preparing the endo-
Ayman Oraif 3 metrium for implantation and maintenance of the gestational sac. The management of
Emad Sagr 4 pregnant women at risk of a threatened or idiopathic recurrent miscarriage is complex and
critical. Therefore, a group of obstetricians and gynecologists practicing in Saudi Arabia
Hana Al Madani 5
gathered to update the 2014 Saudi guidelines for threatened and recurrent miscarriage
Hassan Abduljabbar 3
For personal use only.
management. In preparation, a literature review was conducted to explore the role of oral,
Osama Sadeak Bajouh 3
vaginal, and injectable progestogens: this was used as a basis to develop position statements
Yaser Faden 6 to guide and standardize practice across Saudi Arabia.
Yasser Sabr 7 Keywords: idiopathic recurrent miscarriage, progesterone, progestin, progestogen, Saudi
1
Obstetrics and Gynecology Arabia, threatened miscarriage
Department, Dr. Arab Medical Center,
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 2Obstetrics and
Gynecology Department, Ibinsina Medical
Private College, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Introduction
3
Department of Obstetrics and It is estimated that about 70% of conceptions are lost prior to live birth: 30% due to
Gynecology, King Abdulaziz University,
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 4Obstetrics and implantation failure, 30% following implantation but before a missed period, and
Gynecology Department, The about 10% as clinical miscarriage.1 Despite considerable advances in science and
International Medical Center, Jeddah,
Saudi Arabia; 5Obstetrics and technology, preventing and managing patients at risk of clinical miscarriage in early
Gynecology Department, Maternity pregnancy continues to be a distressing problem.2 The possible causes of miscar-
Hospital – King Saud Medical City,
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 6Department of riage, which can be broadly divided into two categories, are listed in Table 1.2–4
Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Saud bin
Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences –
Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, The Role Of Hormones In Pregnancy
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 7Maternal Fetal Pregnancy is a hormone-mediated physiological state that involves a decrease in
Medicine Division, Department of
Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of uterine vascular tone and an increase in uterine blood flow.5 Progesterone and
Medicine, King Saud University, King Khalid estrogen are two key hormones that remain elevated during pregnancy and play
University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
significant roles in causing anatomical adjustments within the uterus to create an
environment conducive to fetal growth.5
Progesterone, rightly called the “pregnancy hormone”, is crucial in the main-
tenance of pregnancy as it is involved in modulation of the maternal immune
response, suppression of inflammatory response, reduction of uterine contractility,
improvement of utero-placental circulation, and luteal-phase support.6 Particularly
in early pregnancy, progesterone is responsible for preparing the endometrium for
implantation and maintenance of the gestational sac in the uterus.7
Correspondence: Hisham Arab
Obstetrics and Gynecology Department,
Dr. Arab Medical Center, P.O. Box 17440, Mechanisms Involved In Miscarriage
Jeddah 21484, Saudi Arabia
Tel +966 12 2832111
Considerable progress has been made in the fields of cytogenetics and immunoge-
Email [email protected] netics, which has in turn contributed to a better understanding of the mechanisms
submit your manuscript | www.dovepress.com International Journal of Women's Health 2019:11 589–596 589
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Arab et al Dovepress
in Saudi Arabia. This document is intended as a reference for women on dydrogesterone versus 24% in the control
local general physicians, obstetricians/gynecologists, and group (odds ratio [OR] 0.47, 95% confidence interval
fertility specialists for the management of the aforemen- [CI] 0.31–0.7, 11% absolute reduction in miscarriage
tioned patients. However, physicians are required to manage rate).16 Carp et al concluded that the 47% reduction in
patients based on the best available evidence and using their the odds of miscarriage observed with dydrogesterone
clinical judgment and should also take factors such as patient compared with standard of care was indicative of real
characteristics, drug profile, and available resources into treatment effect.16 A more recent study by Lee et al that
consideration. collated data from nine randomized trials including 913
patients (322 on dydrogesterone, 213 vaginal progester-
Review Summary one, and 378 control) reported that the incidence of mis-
What Progestogens Are Currently carriage was significantly lower in the oral dydrogesterone
group than in the control group (11.7% vs 22.6%; OR
Available For The Treatment Of
0.43; 95% CI 0.26–0.71; P = 0.001; I2 0%).17 Similar
Threatened And Idiopathic Recurrent findings were reported by Wahabi et al: oral progestogens
Miscarriage? (dydrogesterone and micronized progesterone) were found
At present, the SFDA has registered only two of the four to reduce the rate of miscarriage compared with no treat-
products listed in Table 2 for the treatment of threatened ment (risk ratio [RR] 0.57; 95% CI 0.38–0.85; three trials;
and idiopathic recurrent miscarriage, both are progesto- 408 patients).19 Wang et al pooled data from eight rando-
gens. It is important that hormonal treatment prescriptions mized controlled trials, including 845 women with threa-
are limited to those indicated for the treatment of threa- tened miscarriage, and reported that women receiving
tened or recurrent miscarriage by the SFDA. dydrogesterone were at a lower risk of miscarriage (RR
0.49, 95% CI 0.33–0.75) than women on natural proges-
What Is The Role Of Oral Progestogens terone (RR 0.69, 95% CI 0.40–1.19).18 Furthermore,
In The Prevention And Treatment Of women treated with oral progestogens demonstrated a
Threatened And Idiopathic Recurrent lower risk of miscarriage (RR 0.55, 95% CI 0.38–0.79)
than those on vaginal progestogens (RR 0.58, 95% CI
Miscarriage?
0.28–1.21).18
Oral Micronized Progesterone
Four recent clinical trials have reported beneficial
Available data suggest that oral micronized progesterone
effects with dydrogesterone in threatened miscarriage.20–23
may have a role in preterm labor12–15 but not in threatened
In a study by El-Zibdeh and Yousef, 146 women presenting
or recurrent miscarriage.
with mild-to-moderate vaginal bleeding during the first
Dydrogesterone (Oral Progestogen) trimester were randomized to 10 mg oral dydrogesterone
Threatened Miscarriage twice daily (n = 86) or no treatment (n = 60).20 The inci-
Based on data from recent systematic reviews and meta- dence of miscarriage was found to be 17.5% with dydro-
analyses, oral dydrogesterone effectively prevents miscar- gesterone versus 25% with no treatment (P < 0.05).20
riage in pregnant women experiencing threatened Another open-label study reported that both dydrogesterone
miscarriage.16–18 The meta-analysis by Carp et al, which (n = 59) and micronized progesterone (n = 59) effectively
collated data from five randomized trials including 660 reduced the extent of bleeding within 4–10 days, with
patients, reported that the miscarriage rate was 13% in comparable miscarriages rates.21 Furthermore, it was
Table 2 Progestogens Currently Available For The Treatment Of Threatened (TM) And Idiopathic Recurrent Miscarriage (RM) In
Saudi Arabia
Generic Name Trade Name Unit Strength Route Of Administration Indicated For TM And RM
found that patients with low progesterone (<35 nmol/L) There are few reports of side effects in mothers taking
were 23 times more likely to experience a miscarriage dydrogesterone. Some studies have reported drowsiness,
than women with high progesterone (≥35 nmol/L) (OR nausea and vomiting, although such symptoms might be
23.8; 95% CI 6.5–86.6; P < 0.0001).21 Overall both treat- associated with the pregnancy itself.16
ments were tolerated well, although drowsiness was experi- Recommendation 1: Oral progestogens, namely dydro-
enced by a greater number of patients on micronized gesterone, are well tolerated and effectively reduce mis-
progesterone compared with dydrogesterone (P = carriages in women at risk of threatened or idiopathic
0.003).21 Pandian reported that the rate of continuing preg- recurrent miscarriages.
nancy beyond 20 weeks was statistically higher with dydro-
gesterone (87.5%) versus conservative management
What Is The Role Of Vaginal
(71.6%) (P < 0.05).23 The rate of miscarriage was also
lower with dydrogesterone versus control (12.5% vs
Progestogens In The Prevention And
28.4%; P < 0.05), with no differences in rates of cesarean Treatment Of Threatened And Idiopathic
section, placenta previa, antepartum hemorrhage, preterm Recurrent Miscarriage?
labor, pregnancy-induced hypertension, or low birth weight Data on the efficacy and safety of vaginal progestogens are
(<2500 g) babies.23 In a similar study by Omar et al, the rate limited. A single-blind study by Yassaee et al that included
of continuing pregnancy beyond 20 weeks was significantly 60 pregnant women with threatened miscarriage reported
higher with dydrogesterone versus conservative treatment that progesterone suppositories (400 mg) reduced the num-
(95.9% vs 86.3%; OR 3.773; 95% CI 1.009–14.108; P = ber of miscarriages compared with control (6 vs 10 cases);
0.037).22 In terms of safety, no intrauterine deaths, conge- however, this difference was not statistically significant.28
nital abnormalities, or pregnancy-related complications In a single-center, randomized, double-blind study includ-
were reported with dydrogesterone.20,23 ing 50 women with a previous diagnosis of inadequate
luteal phase and threatened miscarriage, vaginal progester-
Idiopathic Recurrent Miscarriage one gel (Crinone 8%) was found to help reduce pain and
Data from two recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses the frequency of uterine contractions within 5 days of
showed that dydrogesterone could be effectively used to administration (P < 0.005), with a reduction in the rate
prevent miscarriage in women with a history of idiopathic of miscarriage after 60 days (P < 0.05), compared with
recurrent miscarriage.24,25 Carp collated data from three stu- placebo.29 More recently, a large randomized trial found
dies, including 509 patients, and reported that the rate of that micronized vaginal progesterone was no better than
miscarriage with dydrogesterone was lower than with control placebo for the treatment of threatened miscarriage.30
(10.5% vs 23.5%; OR 0.29; 95% CI 0.13–0.65; 13% absolute However, the authors cautioned that other formulations
reduction in miscarriage).24 Saccone et al collated data from of progestational agents have different molecular struc-
10 trials, 1586 patients, and reported that women randomized tures and therefore potentially different mechanisms of
to receive progestogens in the first trimester and before 16 actions and pharmacologic features.
weeks of gestation had a lower risk of recurrent miscarriage The multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-
(RR 0.72, 95% CI 0.53–0.97) and higher rate of live birth controlled PROMISE study exploring the effect of micro-
(RR 1.07, 95% CI 1.02–1.15) versus control/placebo.25 nized vaginal progesterone (400 mg capsules) in women
Looking at clinical trial data, Kumar et al reported that with a history of unexplained recurrent miscarriage (n =
the risk of miscarriage after three miscarriages was 2.4 836; 404 progesterone, 432 placebo) did not find any
times higher with placebo than dydrogesterone (RR 2.4; benefit of vaginal progesterone in improving rates of live
95% CI 1.3–5.9).26 Both mean gestational age at delivery birth, clinical pregnancy between 6 and 8 weeks of gesta-
and birth weight were higher with dydrogesterone com- tion, ongoing pregnancy at 12 weeks of gestation, miscar-
pared with placebo.26 In another study, dydrogesterone riage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, neonatal survival, or
was found to significantly reduce the rate of miscarriage neonatal congenital anomalies.31 In contrast, in a similar
versus no treatment (13% vs 29%; P = 0.028) with no study, Ismail et al reported that vaginal progesterone (400
reports of pregnancy complications or congenital abnorm- mg pessaries) significantly reduced the rate of miscarriage
alities when given to women with history of idiopathic compared with placebo (12.4% vs 23.3%; P = 0.001) in
recurrent miscarriages.27 addition to an improvement in live birth rate (91.6 vs
77.4%) and continuation of pregnancy beyond 20 weeks sensitive organ that responds to the presence of estrogen
(87.6 vs 76.7%), both of which were statistically signifi- and progesterone, each binding to their cognate receptors
cant (P < 0.05).32 However, a recent Cochrane review, (ESR1 and PGR, respectively) and working in concert to
which included data from the Ismail study, demonstrated establish and maintain pregnancy.44 Disruption to this bal-
no difference between the incidences of recurrent miscar- ance may increase the likelihood of miscarriage by lowering
riage in patients receiving placebo (n=763) and patients the number of available progesterone receptors and/or estro-
receiving vaginal progestogen (n = 738), with a RR of 0.73 gen receptors within the endometrium45 or by the dysregula-
(95% CI 0.40–1.31).33 tion of gene transcription and uterine biology.46
Guidelines published by ESHRE,10 European Progestin Recommendation 4: There is no evidence to support
Club (EPC),34 the German Society of Gynecology and the use of combination progestogens in the prevention and
Obstetrics (DGGG), Austrian Society of Gynecology treatment of threatened and idiopathic recurrent miscar-
and Obstetrics (ÖGGG), and Swiss Society of Gynecology riage. Progestogen monotherapy administered in the
and Obstetrics (SGGG)35 confirm that vaginal progesterone appropriate dose is recommended.
has no beneficial effect in early pregnancy and does not
improve live birth rates in women with unexplained recurrent
miscarriage and therefore cannot be recommended for routine Are The Available Progestogens Safe In
use in the treatment of threatened or recurrent miscarriage. Early Pregnancy?
Recommendation 2: Available evidence is insufficient Clinical studies of oral and vaginal routes of administra-
to recommend the use of vaginal progestogens (capsule, tion are associated with acceptable and minimal side
suppository, micronized, or gel) for the treatment of threa- effects,6,17,31,36,47,48 with fatigue, fluid retention, lipid
tened or recurrent miscarriage. level alterations, dysphoria, hypercoagulant states, and
increased androgenicity reported most commonly.49
What Is The Role Of Injectable Natural progestogens are reported to have milder side
Progestogens In The Prevention And effects, with oral micronized natural progestogens having
fewer side effects than natural progesterones.49 However,
Treatment Of Threatened And Idiopathic
given the poor bioavailability of oral micronized proges-
Recurrent Miscarriage? terone, high doses may be required, which may result in
Many studies refer to the benefit of intramuscular progestogens
drowsiness20 and liver toxicity.20,26
for luteal-phase support and for treating preterm birth,36–42 but
Dydrogesterone, a progestogen that is highly selective for
not to prevent/treat threatened or recurrent miscarriage. Only
the progesterone receptor, lacks estrogenic, androgenic, ana-
one randomized controlled study, by Beigi et al, reported that
bolic, and corticoid properties;26,50 most studies report no
the risk of preterm labor in pregnant women with threatened
significant side effects16,24 including no masculinization of
miscarriage at <34 weeks’ gestation was similar in intramus-
cular (8.6%) and vaginal (6.52%) progesterone groups [RR the female fetus27 or congenital abnormalities.20,23 In com-
1.31; 95% CI 0.47–3.66; P = 0.59].43 parison with micronized progesterone, dydrogesterone was
Recommendation 3: There is insufficient evidence to found to cause significantly fewer cases of drowsiness (P =
support the use of injectable progestogens in miscarriage 0.003), with no differences in nausea, vomiting, giddiness,
prevention and treatment. bloating, diarrhea, or headache.21 Astoundingly, although 38
million women were treated with dydrogesterone between
1977 and 2005, with >10 million fetuses exposed in utero,
What Is The Role Of Combination
only 28 cases of potential links between its use and congeni-
Treatment (Oral And/Or Vaginal And/Or tal birth defects were reported.51 Thus, dydrogesterone is
Injectable) In The Prevention And very unlikely to be teratogenic.51,52 Furthermore, dydroges-
Treatment Of Threatened And Idiopathic terone has been used for a variety of indications worldwide in
Recurrent Miscarriage? an estimated 113 million women since 1960, with approxi-
There are no published articles assessing the efficacy and mately 20 million fetuses being exposed in utero, which
safety of progestogens in combination administered through demonstrates its continued favorable safety and tolerability
different routes. Furthermore, the uterus is a hormone- profile during pregnancy.50
Disclosure 17. Lee HJ, Park TC, Kim JH, Norwitz E, Lee B. The influence of oral
dydrogesterone and vaginal progesterone on threatened abortion: a sys-
Hisham Arab has received speaker honoraria from Bayer, tematic review and meta-analysis. Biomed Res Int. 2017;2017:3616875.
Abbott, and MSD, and advisor honoraria from Vifor and doi:10.1155/2017/3616875
Sanofi. The authors report no other conflicts of interest in 18. Wang XX, Luo Q, Bai WP. Efficacy of progesterone on threatened
miscarriage: difference in drug types. J Obstet Gynaecol Res.
this work. 2019;45(4):794–802. doi:10.1111/jog.13909
19. Wahabi HA, Fayed AA, Esmaeil SA, Bahkali KH. Progestogen for
treating threatened miscarriage. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;8:
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