Dydrogesterone support following assisted reproductive technique (ART) reduces the risk of pre-eclampsia.

BACKGROUND: Pre-eclampsia (PE) contributes to poor maternal morbidity and mortality. Progesterone is hypothesised to reduce the risk of PE.

AIM: To determine the effect of progestogen supplementation during assisted reproductive technique (ART) in reducing the incidence of PE.

METHOD: A retrospective comparative analysis among 1140 pregnancies between January 2006 and March 2015 conducted in a tertiary centre. A total of 570 pregnancies who conceived following ART with progesterone supplementation (study group) and an age-matched spontaneous pregnancies, without progesterone supplementation (control group, n=570) were included in the analysis. The study group received progesterone support following ART or intrauterine insemination (IUI) until 14-16 weeks' gestation.

RESULTS: The rate of PE was significantly lower in the study group compared to control group (8.4% vs. 14.2%, p<0.05). Women supplemented with dydrogesterone only showed a lower PE incidence as compared to women received a combination of dydrogesterone and hydroxyprogesterone caproate, however, it was not statistically significant (6.9% vs. 9.9%; 6.9%; p=0.2).