[TREATMENT OF THREATENED AND HABITUAL ABORTION WITH MEDROXYPROGESTERONE].

A clinical study was made of an oral form of medroxyprogesterone in a group of pregnant patients with signs of a threatened abortion or with a history of habitual abortions, under conditions very similar to those obtaining in general practice. The aim was to assess the agent's effectiveness, its harmlessness, and its effect on the pregnancy in respect of both the mother and the infant. During a 31-month period, 43 pregnant women were administered this drug. The overall result in terms of live and healthy babies was 70%. This result was somewhat lower than that expected on the basis of previous studies; both public and private patients were included and no selection of patients was attempted. There were no apparent harmful side effects to mother or infant or evidence of virilization of female infants; postmaturity was not a problem.