Efficacy of Progesterone in Prolongation of Latent Phase in Patients with Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes A randomized controlled trial

Abstract

reterm delivery with its associated morbidity and mortality still represents one of the major unsolved problems in Obstetrics. In PPROM, there is an increased incidence of preterm delivery which represents a life threatening situation. It has been calculated that the mean duration of PROM pregnancies is 37 weeks, so premature birth defined as delivery before 37 week of gestation, is the leading cause of perinatal mortality and short and long term fetal morbidity. Obviously, preterm deliveries represent a problem because of the severe neonatal complications that often occur afterwards. These complications are worse for the smaller newborn with earlier gestational age. These complications include respiratory distress syndrome, intraventricular hemorrhage, sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis. This has led various authors to search for a method that can reliably predict the occurrence of preterm birth. Various methods have been investigated as the use of biochemical markers. Finally, the use of ultrasound has been suggested and studied extensively as a widely available, non-invasive, inexpensive method which can be used for this purpose. Progesterone is a steroid hormone that helps to maintain pregnancy. Removal of progesterone, or blockage of its receptors, reliably ends pregnancy at all gestational ages, and in