Women at high risk for miscarriage are encouraged by major NHS changes

A drug will be given to women at greater risk of miscarriage. “help save babies lives”.

If they have had miscarriages, hundreds of moms-to be can now get progesterone during the first stages of pregnancy.

1

Women who have had their pregnancy confirmed and are currently bleeding can take two doses of the hormone per day.

This is after the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, (Nice), issued an updated version of its guidance regarding miscarriage.

Charity Tommy’s has stated that the move will be “help save babies’ lives and spare parents heartache”.

Nice recommended that foetus heartbeats be confirmed by micronized progesterone treatment twice daily for 16 weeks.

Each year, around 1,200 women could be eligible for progesterone treatment for previous miscarriage and bleeding during early pregnancy.

Tommy said that the move could stop as many as 8,450 miscarriages per year.

Nice’s committee stated that it shouldn’t have been offered to women suffering from early pregnancy bleeding, but no previous miscarriage, and in women experiencing previous miscarriage with no current early pregnancy bleeding.

The evidence does not support the idea that progesterone can cause harm to the baby or mother, but it is possible to have rare cases.

Jane Brewin, Tommy’s chief executive, said that Nice is taking their progesterone research aboard in their new miscarriage treatment guidelines. This will help babies live longer and save parents pain.

“Miscarriage can be dismissed as “one thing we can’t control” by many healthcare professionals.

“We hear from women who were denied progesterone treatment when they should have been eligible, simply because their doctor wasn’t familiar with it, so we hope Nice’s recommendation will help end some of these inequalities in miscarriage care that add more pain to an already unbearable experience.”

Progesterone is responsible for preparing the uterus (womb), to support the newly fertilised eggs during the early stages of pregnancy.

Some women may not have enough progesterone to miscarry in the first stage.

Giving them supplements could be a way to avoid recurring miscarriage.

Director of Tommy’s National Centre for Miscarriage Research at Birmingham, Professor Arri Coommarasamy said that the miscarriage care guidelines of Nice are a welcome development after years of research on progesterone use and trying to make it more accessible.

“Progesterone is an effective and robust treatment option for breast cancer, however we don’t know if it’s available for everyone who could benefit from it.

“This new recommendation from Nice is an important step in tackling the current variation in miscarriage services across the country and preventing these losses wherever possible.”