First trimester threatened miscarriage treatment with human chorionic gonadotrophins: a randomised controlled trial. Randomised trial comparing expectant with medical management for first trimester miscarriages.
To determine whether administration of exogenous human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) treatment improve the pregnancy outcome in first trimester threatened miscarriages.
                A prospective, double blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial.
                The Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit, Royal Bolton Hospital, Bolton, United Kingdom.
                One hundred and eighty-three women with vaginal bleeding and a viable fetus seen on ultrasound scan (USS) in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
                The patients were randomised to receive either hCG or placebo treatment until 14 weeks of gestation.
                The primary objective of the trial was to determine the miscarriage rate in the hCG arm compared from the placebo arm.
                Of the 183 cases, 87 were randomised to treatment with hCG while 96 were randomised to receive a placebo. Forty-seven (25%) did not comply with the study protocol. The mean [SD] gestational age at presentation was 7 [1.33] weeks. The mean [SD] age of women in study was 27 [5] years in the placebo and 28 [5] in the hCG group. The mean body mass index (kg/m(2)) was 25 [5] in the study. The number of patients actively bleeding per vaginum at presentation was 85 (93%) in placebo group and 79 (96%) in the hCG group. The median number of hCG or placebo injections for both groups was 7. Ten women (11%) in the placebo group proceeded to have a complete miscarriage, as did 10 women (12%) in the hCG group, relative risk (RR) [95% confidence interval (CI)] of 1.1 (0.63-1.6).
                Our study showed no evidence of a difference in the outcome of threatened miscarriages when treated with hCG in the first trimester, this may be because our study sample size was small and follow up was suboptimal. A large, randomised, multicentre trial is still needed to establish the usefulness of hCG treatment in cases of threatened miscarriage. To compare the efficacy of antiprogesterone (mifepristone) in combination with a synthetic prostaglandin E1 analogue (misoprostol) for outpatient treatment of miscarriages.
                One hundred and twenty-two women with first trimester miscarriages.
                The women were randomised to treatment with mifepristone 400 mg orally followed by a single oral dose of 400 microg misoprostol 48 hours later (n = 60) or expectant management (n = 62). Women were re-evaluated five days later. If retained intrauterine products of conception were found with an antero-posterior diameter above 15 mm on transvaginal ultrasound, surgical evacuation was performed.
                Eighty-two percent of the women randomised to pharmacological treatment and 76% of those randomised to expectant management had an empty uterine cavity after five days. Convalescence time was 1.8 days longer for women randomised to pharmacological treatment. Pain, bleeding, complications, and satisfaction with the treatment did not differ between the groups.
                Most cases of spontaneous incomplete miscarriage will become a complete miscarriage without intervention. This study shows that outpatient treatment with a combination of antiprogesterone and a prostaglandin E1 analogue did not increase the rate of complete miscarriage, compared with expectancy alone, by a clinical important degree.
The current evidence does not support the routine use of hCG in the treatment of threatened miscarriage.