Progesterone Treatment
Date issued: June 2023
Review date: June 2025
Ref: F-71/HF/Early Pregnancy Unit/Progesterone treatment
PDF: Progesterone treatment final June 2023.pdf[pdf] 238KB
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has updated the guidance for the treatment of threatened miscarriage, following the results of the PRISM study in 2019. It now recommends offering women Progesterone treatment, who have bleeding in early pregnancy and have suffered at least 1 miscarriage in the past. This can be prescribed when an ultrasound scan has confirmed a pregnancy sac within the uterus.
Progesterone is a hormone that supports the lining of the uterus. It is given as vaginal pessaries, 400mg twice daily, from the time of your bleeding/scan and continued up to 16 weeks of pregnancy.
Progesterone is safe to use in pregnancy and has not been shown to cause any harm, although the long-term data is not yet available.
Data shows that for those women using Progesterone with bleeding and a history of 1 or 2 previous miscarriages, there was equivalent to 3-4 more live births per 100 women. For those with a history of 3 or more miscarriages, there was 14-15 more live births per 100 women. Progesterone treatment has not been shown to be beneficial for those who have no previous history of miscarriage.
Whether or not you choose to take Progesterone in early pregnancy will not affect the ongoing and supportive care provided by the Early Pregnancy Unit.
Early Pregnancy Unit: Tel: 01752 430887
Monday to Friday: 8am to 5.30pm
Ocean Suite (Gynaecology ward) Tel: 01752 430026
Monday to Friday 5.30pm to 8am, all day Saturday and Sunday
