Efficacy of Corticosteroids in Patients With Recurrent Pregnancy Loss: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) represents a complication of pregnancy occurring in 1%–3% of all couples trying to conceive. About 50%–60% of RPL cases remain idiopathic, therefore therapeutic strategies seem empirical and based on unproven evidence. We investigated the efficacy of corticosteroids in women with RPL. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis, up to August 2024, in the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, including studies on idiopathic RPL women and comparing corticosteroids versus control treatment. Primary outcome was the ongoing pregnancy rate beyond 12 weeks of gestation; secondary outcomes were live birth rate (LBR), stillbirth, birth weight, incidence of preeclampsia and/or gestational diabetes, gestational age at delivery, and fetal abnormalities. Four studies comprising 417 RPL women randomly assigned to steroid or control treatment were included. We found that oral corticosteroids significantly increase the ongoing pregnancy rate beyond 12 weeks of gestation compared to the control group (log OR [odds ratio] = 1.49 [0.32, 2.67], p = 0.01), with high heterogeneity (I² = 75%), and improve LBR (log OR = 0.9 [0.11, 1.69], p = 0.03), with low heterogeneity (I² = 0.05%). However, the limited number of studies significantly limits the strength of the findings. Also, the benefit/risk assessment of the use of corticosteroids in early pregnancy for RPL is still unclear.