Luteal insufficiency as the primary cause of habitual abortion--its successful treatment.

In order to assess luteal insufficiency as a causative factor in habitual abortion, serial progesterone determinations were accomplished. Luteal insufficiency was proved on the basis of progesterone values by criteria elaborated by the author in 151 of 160 unselected patients with a history of 2-6 (mean 3.3) unsuccessful pregnancies. Normalization of luteal function before conception resulted in birth in case of 148 (92.5%) and first or second trimester abortion in case of 12 women (7.5%). 148 women with physiological luteal function delivered 205 newborns from 192 pregnancies (in 44 patients two, in 11 patients twin pregnancies and in one case a trigeminal pregnancy). Out of 12 twin pregnancies 10 terminated with mature, one with immature (complicated with uterus bicornis) births and one terminated with spontaneous abortion. One from the two trigeminal pregnancies resulted in immature birth and one in a spontaneous abortion in the second trimester. Fifteen pregnancies conceived in the group of 13 women with uterus bicornis or septus resulted in 13 mature and one premature births and the sole twin pregnancy case ended with immature birth. Based on the results achieved so far, the author regard the treatment of luteal insufficiency--beside the proving the aetiology--as the most successful therapy for habitual abortion.