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Women with histories of spontaneous preterm delivery (i.e., before 37 weeks' gestation) are at high risk for subsequent preterm delivery. In a multicenter, double-blind, randomized trial, investigators from the NIH-sponsored, Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network tested the efficacy of 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17P), a natural metabolite of progesterone, for preventing preterm delivery.
Subjects were 463 women who had documented histories of spontaneous preterm delivery and who had current pregnancies between 15 and 20 weeks' gestation. The women were randomized in a 2:1 ratio to weekly intramuscular injections of 17P (250 mg) or inert oil placebo, until delivery or 36 weeks of gestation.
Preterm delivery was significantly less common…