Bishop, P. M., Richards, N. A., & Doll, R. (1950). Habitual abortion; prophylactic value of progesterone pellet implantation. British Medical Journal, 2(4671), 130-133. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.2.4671.130
Bishop PM, Richards NA, Doll R. Habitual abortion; prophylactic value of progesterone pellet implantation. Br Med J. 1950;2(4671):130-133. doi:10.1136/bmj.2.4671.130
Bishop, P. M., et al. "Habitual abortion; prophylactic value of progesterone pellet implantation." British Medical Journal, vol. 2, no. 4671, 1950, pp. 130-133.
For EndNote, Zotero or Mendeley:
Open access
Free to read
No reuse license
Open Access
Free full text on PubMed Central (PMC2038208)
RRM Academy Synopsis
Most of 45 women with repeat losses reached 28 weeks on progesterone
In a 1950 case series of 45 women with habitual abortion, 86% of treated women with two previous abortions and 89% of those with three reached 28 weeks of pregnancy. Habitual abortion means repeated unexplained miscarriage. Progesterone pellets were implanted in the thigh, in most cases before the tenth week of pregnancy.
Key Findings
The series included 45 women with two or more consecutive unexplained abortions before the fifth month: 33 with primary and 12 with secondary habitual abortion. Each received progesterone pellets.
Success meant reaching 28 weeks: 86% of patients with two previous abortions (24 of 28), 89% with three (8 of 9) and 75% with four or more (6 of 8).
In primary habitual abortion, success was 90% with two previous abortions (18 of 20), 88% with three (7 of 8) and 60% with four or more (3 of 5).
In secondary habitual abortion, success was 75% with two consecutive abortions (6 of 8) and uniform among the four cases with three or more.
Of the 28 successfully treated primary patients, 26 had live babies. All 10 successfully treated secondary patients had live babies, and one infant had osteogenesis imperfecta, as had the mother's earlier child.
Interpretation
The report is a case series of 45 treated women, with the outcome of the treated pregnancy known for every one. The authors compared each group's results with published calculations of spontaneous recovery. They conclude that, if recurring abortion affects not much less than 0.1% of women, the results indicate the treatment was of value. Eligible women had two or more consecutive abortions before the fifth month with no recognized organic cause.
RRM Context
The authors suggest that low progesterone, the hormone they judge most important for keeping a pregnancy, may directly underlie many cases of habitual abortion. Restorative reproductive medicine shares this focus on progesterone. NaProTechnology applies it by checking the luteal phase with cycle charting and supporting it when it falls short.
Our editorial summary of this paper, not the article's abstract.
