Vaginal progesterone for prevention of preterm birth in women with a history of preterm birth regardless of cervical length: an argument for use

Abstract

It is well understood that preterm birth accounts for a substantial amount of poor neonatal outcomes. In 2022, preterm birth affected about 1 of every 10 infants born in the United States with complications ranging from mild respiratory distress syndrome to neonatal death. The complexity of the treatment is secondary to the fact that preterm birth is a multifactorial syndrome with intricate sociocultural factors that influence our racially disproportionate poor outcomes. One of the key risk factors for preterm birth is a history of spontaneous preterm birth. Currently, there are conflicting recommendations regarding the use of vaginal progesterone prophylactically for the prevention of recurrent preterm birth. As described in Practice Bulletin number 234 of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the current recommendation is that patients with a singleton pregnancy and previous spontaneous preterm birth should be assessed with serial endovaginal ultrasound cervical length measurements to determine eligibility for vaginal progesterone. In contrast, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine suggests the use of prophylactic vaginal progesterone with patient-centered counseling and shared decision-making. We aimed to present the rationale for the use of prophylactic vaginal progesterone in patients with singleton gestations and a history of spontaneous preterm birth.