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American Family Physician Feb 2019Approximately one-fourth of pregnant women will experience bleeding in the first trimester. The differential diagnosis includes threatened abortion, early pregnancy... (Review)
Review
Approximately one-fourth of pregnant women will experience bleeding in the first trimester. The differential diagnosis includes threatened abortion, early pregnancy loss, and ectopic pregnancy. Pain and heavy bleeding are associated with an increased risk of early pregnancy loss. Treatment of threatened abortion is expectant management. Bed rest does not improve outcomes, and there is insufficient evidence supporting the use of progestins. Trends in quantitative ß subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (ß-hCG) levels provide useful information when distinguishing normal from abnormal early pregnancy. The discriminatory level (1,500 to 3,000 mIU per mL) is the ß-hCG level above which an intrauterine pregnancy should be visible on transvaginal ultrasonography. Failure to detect an intrauterine pregnancy, combined with ß-hCG levels higher than the discriminatory level, should raise concern for early pregnancy loss or ectopic pregnancy. Ultrasound findings diagnostic of early pregnancy loss include a mean gestational sac diameter of 25 mm or greater with no embryo and no fetal cardiac activity when the crown-rump length is 7 mm or more. Treatment options for early pregnancy loss include expectant management, medical management with mifepristone and misoprostol, or uterine aspiration. The incidence of ectopic pregnancy is 1% to 2% in the United States and accounts for 6% of all maternal deaths. Established criteria should be used to determine treatment options for ectopic pregnancy, including expectant management, medical management with methotrexate, or surgical intervention.
Topics: Abortion, Spontaneous; Abortion, Threatened; Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human; Diagnosis, Differential; Female; Hemorrhage; Humans; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Trimester, First; Pregnancy, Ectopic; Prenatal Care; Ultrasonography, Prenatal; Vagina; Watchful Waiting
PubMed: 30702252
DOI: No ID Found -
American Family Physician Oct 2005Spontaneous abortion, which is the loss of a pregnancy without outside intervention before 20 weeks' gestation, affects up to 20 percent of recognized pregnancies.... (Review)
Review
Spontaneous abortion, which is the loss of a pregnancy without outside intervention before 20 weeks' gestation, affects up to 20 percent of recognized pregnancies. Spontaneous abortion can be subdivided into threatened abortion, inevitable abortion, incomplete abortion, missed abortion, septic abortion, complete abortion, and recurrent spontaneous abortion. Ultrasonography is helpful in the diagnosis of spontaneous abortion, but other testing may be needed if an ectopic pregnancy cannot be ruled out. Chromosomal abnormalities are causative in approximately 50 percent of spontaneous abortions; multiple other factors also may play a role. Traditional treatment consisting of surgical evacuation of the uterus remains the treatment of choice in unstable patients. Recent studies suggest that expectant or medical management is appropriate in selected patients. Patients with a completed spontaneous abortion rarely require medical or surgical intervention. For women with incomplete spontaneous abortion, expectant management for up to two weeks usually is successful, and medical therapy provides little additional benefit. When patients are allowed to choose between treatment options, a large percentage will choose expectant management. Expectant management of missed spontaneous abortion has variable success rates, but medical therapy with intravaginal misoprostol has an 80 percent success rate. Physicians should be aware of psychologic issues that patients and their partners face after completing a spontaneous abortion. Women are at increased risk for significant depression and anxiety for up to one year after spontaneous abortion. Counseling to address feelings of guilt, the grief process, and how to cope with friends and family should be provided.
Topics: Abortifacient Agents; Abortion, Spontaneous; Algorithms; Decision Trees; Dilatation and Curettage; Female; Humans; Patient Satisfaction; Pregnancy; Risk Factors
PubMed: 16225027
DOI: No ID Found -
Australian Family Physician May 2016Twenty to forty per cent of pregnant women will experience bleeding during the first trimester. Initial presentation is usually to the general practitioner.... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Twenty to forty per cent of pregnant women will experience bleeding during the first trimester. Initial presentation is usually to the general practitioner. Complications of miscarriage, including threatened miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy, are the most common diagnoses. The failure to diagnose an ectopic pregnancy may have life-threatening consequences for a woman.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this article is to review the history, examination findings, investigations and management options for miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy.
DISCUSSION
Early pregnancy bleeding is a very distressing symptom for which a woman seeks reassurance that she has an ongoing pregnancy. It is not always possible to make a diagnosis at the first presentation. In some cases, the need for follow-up investigations or referral to a gynaecologist is required. As healthcare providers, we should continue to review and update our knowledge in the management of this common presentation in order to optimise our care of these patients.
Topics: Abortion, Spontaneous; Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications; Pregnancy Trimester, First; Pregnancy, Ectopic; Ultrasonography, Prenatal; Uterine Hemorrhage
PubMed: 27166462
DOI: No ID Found -
The Cochrane Database of Systematic... Apr 2021Miscarriage, defined as the spontaneous loss of a pregnancy before 24 weeks' gestation, is common with approximately 25% of women experiencing a miscarriage in their... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Miscarriage, defined as the spontaneous loss of a pregnancy before 24 weeks' gestation, is common with approximately 25% of women experiencing a miscarriage in their lifetime, and 15% to 20% of pregnancies ending in a miscarriage. Progesterone has an important role in maintaining a pregnancy, and supplementation with different progestogens in early pregnancy has been attempted to rescue a pregnancy in women with early pregnancy bleeding (threatened miscarriage), and to prevent miscarriages in asymptomatic women who have a history of three or more previous miscarriages (recurrent miscarriage).
OBJECTIVES
To estimate the relative effectiveness and safety profiles for the different progestogen treatments for threatened and recurrent miscarriage, and provide rankings of the available treatments according to their effectiveness, safety, and side-effect profile.
SEARCH METHODS
We searched the following databases up to 15 December 2020: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Ovid MEDLINE(R), ClinicalTrials.gov and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP), and reference lists of retrieved studies.
SELECTION CRITERIA
We included all randomised controlled trials assessing the effectiveness or safety of progestogen treatment for the prevention of miscarriage. Cluster-randomised trials were eligible for inclusion. Randomised trials published only as abstracts were eligible if sufficient information could be retrieved. We excluded quasi- and non-randomised trials.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
At least two review authors independently assessed the trials for inclusion and risk of bias, extracted data and checked them for accuracy. We performed pairwise meta-analyses and indirect comparisons, where possible, to determine the relative effects of all available treatments, but due to the limited number of included studies only direct or indirect comparisons were possible. We estimated the relative effects for the primary outcome of live birth and the secondary outcomes including miscarriage (< 24 weeks of gestation), preterm birth (< 37 weeks of gestation), stillbirth, ectopic pregnancy, congenital abnormalities, and adverse drug events. Relative effects for all outcomes are reported separately by the type of miscarriage (threatened and recurrent miscarriage). We used the GRADE approach to assess the certainty of evidence.
MAIN RESULTS
Our meta-analysis included seven randomised trials involving 5,682 women, and all provided data for meta-analysis. All trials were conducted in hospital settings. Across seven trials (14 treatment arms), the following treatments were used: three arms (21%) used vaginal micronized progesterone; three arms (21%) used dydrogesterone; one arm (7%) used oral micronized progesterone; one arm (7%) used 17-α-hydroxyprogesterone, and six arms (43%) used placebo. Women with threatened miscarriage Based on the relative effects from the pairwise meta-analysis, vaginal micronized progesterone (two trials, 4090 women, risk ratio (RR) 1.03, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.00 to 1.07, high-certainty evidence), and dydrogesterone (one trial, 406 women, RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.89 to 1.07, moderate-certainty evidence) probably make little or no difference to the live birth rate when compared with placebo for women with threatened miscarriage. No data are available to assess the effectiveness of 17-α-hydroxyprogesterone or oral micronized progesterone for the outcome of live birth in women with threatened miscarriage. The pre-specified subgroup analysis by number of previous miscarriages is only possible for vaginal micronized progesterone in women with threatened miscarriage. In women with no previous miscarriages and early pregnancy bleeding, there is probably little or no improvement in the live birth rate (RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.95 to 1.04, high-certainty evidence) when treated with vaginal micronized progesterone compared to placebo. However, for women with one or more previous miscarriages and early pregnancy bleeding, vaginal micronized progesterone increases the live birth rate compared to placebo (RR 1.08, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.15, high-certainty evidence). Women with recurrent miscarriage Based on the results from one trial (826 women) vaginal micronized progesterone (RR 1.04, 95% CI 0.95 to 1.15, high-certainty evidence) probably makes little or no difference to the live birth rate when compared with placebo for women with recurrent miscarriage. The evidence for dydrogesterone compared with placebo for women with recurrent miscarriage is of very low-certainty evidence, therefore the effects remain unclear. No data are available to assess the effectiveness of 17-α-hydroxyprogesterone or oral micronized progesterone for the outcome of live birth in women with recurrent miscarriage. Additional outcomes All progestogen treatments have a wide range of effects on the other pre-specified outcomes (miscarriage (< 24 weeks of gestation), preterm birth (< 37 weeks of gestation), stillbirth, ectopic pregnancy) in comparison to placebo for both threatened and recurrent miscarriage. Moderate- and low-certainty evidence with a wide range of effects suggests that there is probably no difference in congenital abnormalities and adverse drug events with vaginal micronized progesterone for threatened (congenital abnormalities RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.68 to 1.46, moderate-certainty evidence; adverse drug events RR 1.07 95% CI 0.81 to 1.39, moderate-certainty evidence) or recurrent miscarriage (congenital abnormalities 0.75, 95% CI 0.31 to 1.85, low-certainty evidence; adverse drug events RR 1.46, 95% CI 0.93 to 2.29, moderate-certainty evidence) compared with placebo. There are limited data and very low-certainty evidence on congenital abnormalities and adverse drug events for the other progestogens.
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
The overall available evidence suggests that progestogens probably make little or no difference to live birth rate for women with threatened or recurrent miscarriage. However, vaginal micronized progesterone may increase the live birth rate for women with a history of one or more previous miscarriages and early pregnancy bleeding, with likely no difference in adverse events. There is still uncertainty over the effectiveness and safety of alternative progestogen treatments for threatened and recurrent miscarriage.
Topics: Abortion, Habitual; Abortion, Spontaneous; Bias; Birth Rate; Dydrogesterone; Female; Humans; Hydroxyprogesterones; Live Birth; Network Meta-Analysis; Placebos; Pregnancy; Progesterone; Progestins; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Stillbirth
PubMed: 33872382
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD013792.pub2 -
American Journal of Obstetrics and... Aug 2020Progesterone is essential for the maintenance of pregnancy. Several small trials have suggested that progesterone supplementation may reduce the risk of miscarriage in... (Review)
Review
Progesterone is essential for the maintenance of pregnancy. Several small trials have suggested that progesterone supplementation may reduce the risk of miscarriage in women with recurrent or threatened miscarriage. Cochrane Reviews summarized the evidence and found that the trials were small with substantial methodologic weaknesses. Since then, the effects of first-trimester use of vaginal micronized progesterone have been evaluated in 2 large, high-quality, multicenter placebo-controlled trials, one targeting women with unexplained recurrent miscarriages (the PROMISE [PROgesterone in recurrent MIScarriagE] trial) and the other targeting women with early pregnancy bleeding (the PRISM [PRogesterone In Spontaneous Miscarriage] trial). The PROMISE trial studied 836 women from 45 hospitals in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands and found a 3% greater live birth rate with progesterone but with substantial statistical uncertainty. The PRISM trial studied 4153 women from 48 hospitals in the United Kingdom and found a 3% greater live birth rate with progesterone, but with a P value of .08. A key finding, first observed in the PROMISE trial, and then replicated in the PRISM trial, was that treatment with vaginal micronized progesterone 400 mg twice daily was associated with increasing live birth rates according to the number of previous miscarriages. Prespecified PRISM trial subgroup analysis in women with the dual risk factors of previous miscarriage(s) and current pregnancy bleeding fulfilled all 11 conditions for credible subgroup analysis. For the subgroup of women with a history of 1 or more miscarriage(s) and current pregnancy bleeding, the live birth rate was 75% (689/914) with progesterone vs 70% (619/886) with placebo (rate difference 5%; risk ratio, 1.09, 95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.15; P=.003). The benefit was greater for the subgroup of women with 3 or more previous miscarriages and current pregnancy bleeding; live birth rate was 72% (98/137) with progesterone vs 57% (85/148) with placebo (rate difference 15%; risk ratio, 1.28, 95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.51; P=.004). No short-term safety concerns were identified from the PROMISE and PRISM trials. Therefore, women with a history of miscarriage who present with bleeding in early pregnancy may benefit from the use of vaginal micronized progesterone 400 mg twice daily. Women and their care providers should use the findings for shared decision-making.
Topics: Abortion, Habitual; Abortion, Threatened; Administration, Intravaginal; Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Trimester, First; Progesterone; Progestins; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 32008730
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2019.12.006 -
Medicine May 2017The aim of this meta-analysis was to investigate the prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal risk factors for children autism. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
The aim of this meta-analysis was to investigate the prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal risk factors for children autism.
METHODS
PubMed, Embase, Web of Science were used to search for studies that examined the prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal risk factors for children autism. A fixed-effects model or random-effects model was used to pool the overall effect estimates.
RESULTS
Data from 37,634 autistic children and 12,081,416 nonautistic children enrolled in 17 studies were collated. During the prenatal period, the factors associated with autism risk were maternal and paternal age≥35 years, mother's and father's race: White and Asian, gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes, maternal and paternal education college graduate+, threatened abortion, and antepartum hemorrhage. During perinatal period, the factors associated with autism risk were caesarian delivery, gestational age≤36 weeks, parity≥4, spontaneous labor, induced labor, no labor, breech presentation, preeclampsia, and fetal distress. During the postnatal period, the factors associated with autism risk were low birth weight, postpartum hemorrhage, male gender, and brain anomaly. Parity≥4 and female were associated with a decreased risk of autism. In addition, exposure to cigarette smoking, urinary infection, mother's and father's race: Black and Hispanic, mother's country of birth outside Europe and North America, umbilical cord around neck, premature membrane rupture, 5-minutes Apgar score<7, and respiratory infection were not associated with increased risk of autism.
CONCLUSION
The present meta-analysis confirmed the relation between some prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal factors with autism. All these factors were examined individually, thus it was still unclear that whether these factors are causal or play a secondary role in the development of autism. Further studies are needed to verify our findings, and investigate the effects of multiple factors on autism, rather than the single factor.
Topics: Autistic Disorder; Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications; Risk Factors
PubMed: 28471964
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000006696