BACKGROUND: There may be an association between recurrent miscarriage and abnormal hormone function in the follicular phase. Human chorionic gonadotrophin may play a role in preventing miscarriages. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this review was to assess the effects of human chorionic gonadotrophin administration during early pregnancy on the risk of miscarriage in women with a history of recurrent miscarriage. SEARCH STRATEGY: The Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group trials register was searched. Date of last search: 9 January 1998. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised trials of human chorionic gonadotrophin compared with placebo or no treatment in women who have had two or more miscarriages. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Eligibility and trial quality were assessed by one reviewer. MAIN RESULTS: Four trials involving 180 women were included. The trials were of variable quality. Human chorionic gonadotrophin was associated with a reduced risk of miscarriage for women with a history of recurrent miscarriage (odds ratio 0.26, 95% confidence interval 0.14 to 0.52). This result should be interpreted cautiously because the apparent effect is greatly influenced by the two methodologically weaker studies. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There is not enough evidence to evaluate the use of human chorionic gonadotrophin during pregnancy in order to prevent miscarriage in women with a history of unexplained recurrent spontaneous miscarriage.
BACKGROUND: There may be an association between recurrent miscarriage and abnormal hormone function in the follicular phase. Human chorionic gonadotrophin may play a role in preventing miscarriages. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this review was to assess the effects of human chorionic gonadotrophin administration during early pregnancy on the risk of miscarriage in women with a history of recurrent miscarriage. SEARCH STRATEGY: The Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group trials register was searched. Date of last search: 9 January 1998. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised trials of human chorionic gonadotrophin compared with placebo or no treatment in women who have had two or more miscarriages. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Eligibility and trial quality were assessed by one reviewer. MAIN RESULTS: Four trials involving 180 women were included. The trials were of variable quality. Human chorionic gonadotrophin was associated with a reduced risk of miscarriage for women with a history of recurrent miscarriage (odds ratio 0.26, 95% confidence interval 0.14 to 0.52). This result should be interpreted cautiously because the apparent effect is greatly influenced by the two methodologically weaker studies. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There is not enough evidence to evaluate the use of human chorionic gonadotrophin during pregnancy in order to prevent miscarriage in women with a history of unexplained recurrent spontaneous miscarriage.