A study of the use of supplements to prevent miscarriage has proved "disappointing", researchers said last night.
Researchers based at the University of Birmingham, UK, published their findings in the New England Journal of Medicine.
They conducted a five year trial of the treatment with 826 women with previously unexplained recurrent miscarriage. The average age of the women was 33.
The research showed that 65.8% of women who received the treatment had a live birth. But so did 63.3% of women who were given placebo treatment.
Researcher Professor Arri Coomarasamy said: “We had hoped, like many people, that this research would confirm progesterone as an effective treatment. Though disappointing, it does address a question that has remained unanswered since progesterone was first proposed as a treatment back in 1953.
"Fortunately, there are a number of other positives that we can take from the trial as a whole.”
He added: “It may well be that progesterone supplements have other uses, such as preventing miscarriage in women with early pregnancy bleeding, so it’s not the end of the road.
“Furthermore, the PROMISE trial created a solid network of doctors, nurses and midwives across the UK and beyond, all committed to miscarriage research. That wealth of expertise and information will be invaluable as we continue to explore and test other treatments that really can reduce the risk of miscarriage.”
NEJM 25 November 2015
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