A new study estimates that the cost of providing progesterone to women at risk for miscarriage would equate to an average of £204 per pregnancy.
The economic evaluation, published in the British Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, compared progesterone with placebo in preventing pregnancy loss in women with early pregnancy vaginal bleeding.
The analysis, which was carried out across 48 NHS early pregnancy units, included 4153 women aged 16-39 years with bleeding in early pregnancy and ultrasound evidence of an intrauterine sac.
The main outcome was the cost per additional live birth at ≥34 weeks of gestation.
The mean cost per woman in the progesterone group was £76 (95% CI, −£559 to £711) more than the mean cost in the placebo group. The incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio for progesterone compared with placebo was £3305 per additional live birth. In women with at least one previous miscarriage, progesterone was associated with a cost saving of £322 (95% CI, −£1318 to £673).
The authors concluded that progesterone is likely to be a cost‐effective intervention, particularly for women with previous miscarriage(s).
