Effect of 17 Alpha-Hydroxyprogesterone Caproate on Preterm Labor Prevention in Pregnant Women with a History of Preterm Labor

Background: The risk of preterm labor is significantly higher in women with a history of preterm delivery. Objectives: The current study aimed at investigating the effect of 17 α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17-OHPC) on preterm labor prevention in pregnant women with a history of preterm labor. Methods: In the current randomized control trial, 100 pregnant women with a history of preterm labor were divided in two groups. The 17-OHPC 250 mg was prescribed to the case group from the week 20 of gestation weekly. Sampling was done randomly. The gestational age at birth was measured up and compared with that of previous labor. Data were analyzed using t-test. Results: In the current study, the mean gestational age of previous and present labor were respectively 28.5 ± 5.9 and 33.6 ± 5.2 weeks in the case group (P = 0.001). In the control group, the mean gestational age of previous and present labor were 33.3 ± 2.7 and 35.3 ± 2.3 weeks, respectively (P = 0.001). The difference between the previous and present gestational age in the case and control groups were 5.1 ± 4.0 and 3.3 ± 1.4 weeks, respectively (P = 0.228). The birth weight in the case and control groups were 2.4 ± 0.1 and 2.7 ± 0.7 kg, respectively (P = 0.256). The 1-minute Apgar score in the case and control groups were 7.3 ± 2.3 and 7.8 ± 1.7, respectively (P = 0.494). Also, the 5-minute Apgar score in the case and control groups were 8.6 ± 2.2 and 9.1 ± 1.4, respectively (P = 0.393). In the current study, the number of infants requiring admission to the neonatal intensive care unit in the case and control groups were 16 (32%) and 14 (28%) respectively, although the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.711). Conclusions: The results of the study indicated that although gestational age at birth was higher in the case group than in the control group, the difference was not statistically significant.