Abstract
Objective To compare the effect of hCG therapy with placebo or bed rest in women with threatened abortion.
Design Random assignment, double-blind.
Setting Community hospitals.
PATIENTS AND
Interventions Sixty-one women with viable pregnancies under 8 weeks' gestation on admission to hospital were randomly allocated to receive injections of hCG or placebo, or were advised to rest in bed.
Main Outcome Measures Abortion vs. continuation of pregnancy at 16 weeks' gestation.
Results Thirty-one aborted: 6/20 on hCG, 10/21 on placebo, 15/20 on bed rest. hCG vs. bed rest, P < .01; placebo vs. bed rest, hCG vs. placebo--not significant. Plasma progesterone: continuing pregnancy > abortion, P < .01; continued with hCG vs. aborted on placebo, P < .001; continued with hCG vs. aborted with bed rest, P < .001. No significant differences in pregnancy/birth complications or infants' birth weight. Female/male ratio was 2:1.
Conclusions hCG is significantly better than bed rest.
threatened abortion hCG treatment randomized trial, human chorionic gonadotropin early pregnancy loss prevention, hCG versus bed rest threatened miscarriage, Harrison threatened abortion hCG placebo bed rest, first trimester threatened abortion progesterone levels outcome, hCG therapy viable pregnancy under 8 weeks, early pregnancy bleeding hCG injection treatment efficacy, plasma progesterone predictor miscarriage outcome, double blind randomized trial threatened abortion intervention, bed rest ineffective threatened miscarriage
Keywords
Abortion, Threatened/drug Therapy/therapy, Adult, Bed Rest, Birth Weight, Chi-Square Distribution, Chorionic Gonadotropin/adverse Effects/therapeutic Use, Double-Blind Method, Female, Humans, Male, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Trimester, First, Progesterone/blood, Sex Ratio, Treatment Outcome, Chorionic Gonadotropin, Progesterone