Randomized Controlled Trial of Vaginal Progesterone in Women With Threatened Preterm Labor (PROTO)

January 7, 2015 updated by: Dr. Sue Ross, University of Calgary

Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Vaginal Progesterone to Prevent Preterm Birth in Women With Threatened Preterm Labor

Prematurity remains the most important single factor in perinatal morbidity and mortality. Unfortunately, the rate of premature delivery is increasing in Canada and is especially high in Alberta with 7.5% of pregnancies ending before 37 weeks gestation. Despite years of research into the causes of spontaneous preterm labor, few effective treatments have been identified. Progesterone is one candidate treatment. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether progesterone can prolong pregnancy in women who have symptoms of preterm labor.

Pregnant women who have symptoms of premature labor will be invited to take part in the study if they are between 22 to 24 weeks pregnant. If they agree to join the study, they will be randomly allocated to either take progesterone 200mg each day via the vagina until 36 weeks, or to take a placebo preparation. Neither the women nor their clinician will know which group they are in.

Women and their babies will be followed until 28 days after the birth, to find out about the length of the pregnancy, any adverse events that might occur (none have been reported in previous trials), and to look at whether women have taken the treatment.

When the study is complete, the results for the progesterone group will be compared to the placebo group. If progesterone is found to be useful in helping to prolong pregnancy, then this will be a possible treatment to help mothers in the future.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Terminated

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
34

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • Alberta
      • Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 4J8
        • Foothills Medical Centre

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 50 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Women with symptomatic premature contractions successfully arrested for at least 12 hours with tocolytics.
  • Women with symptoms suggestive of early preterm labor whose contractions resolve without tocolysis but are fetal fibronectin positive.
  • Gestational age 23(+0)-32(+6) weeks.
  • Consent to taking part in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Placenta previa
  • Preterm premature rupture of membranes at presentation
  • Pre-existing hypertension will be excluded in order to reduce the likelihood of iatrogenic preterm delivery within the study women
  • Known major fetal anomaly detected on ultrasound
  • Multiple pregnancy
  • Maternal seizure disorder
  • Active or history of thromboembolic disease
  • Maternal liver disease
  • Known or suspected breast malignancy or pathology
  • Known or suspected progesterone-dependent neoplasia
  • Plans to move to another city during pregnancy
  • Previous participation in a progesterone trial during this pregnancy
  • Known sensitivity to progesterone

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo
Drug: Placebo
Capsules of placebo (sunflower oil). One capsule inserted vaginally per day from time of randomisation to gestational age 35(+6)weeks or delivery (if sooner).
Experimental: Vaginal progesterone
Drug: Vaginal progesterone
Capsules of 200mg micronised progesterone suspended in sunflower oil. One capsule inserted vaginally per day from time of randomisation to gestational age 35(+6)weeks or delivery (if sooner).
Other Names:
  • Utrogestan

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Gestational age at birth
Time Frame: At birth
Gestational age at birth calculated from gestational age at pre-randomization baseline
At birth

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Proportion of women who have preterm birth <35 weeks
Time Frame: At birth
At birth
Proportion of women who have a preterm birth at <37 weeks
Time Frame: At birth
At birth
Maternal hospital length of stay (days)
Time Frame: Days from date of admission to date of discharge
Days from date of admission to date of discharge
Proportion of women who have hospital admission for premature labor
Time Frame: After birth
After birth
Maternal compliance with treatment
Time Frame: At time of birth
Diary self-report of treatment use
At time of birth
Neonatal hospital length of stay (days)
Time Frame: Days from birth to discharge from hospital
Days from birth to discharge from hospital
Neonatal morbidity
Time Frame: Up to 28 days after birth
Respiratory distress syndrome (type 1), intraventricular hemorrhage, chronic lung disease, periventricular leukomalacia,necrotising eneterocolitis, retinopathy of prematurity
Up to 28 days after birth
Number of days of assisted ventilation (neonate)
Time Frame: Up to 28 days after birth
Up to 28 days after birth
Number of days of supplemental oxygen (for neonate)
Time Frame: Up to 28 days after birth
Up to 28 days after birth
Birth weight (grams)
Time Frame: At time of birth
At time of birth
Neonatal survival to discharge home (yes/no)
Time Frame: During 28 days after birth
During 28 days after birth
Adverse events (maternal or neonate)
Time Frame: Up to 28 days after birth
Up to 28 days after birth

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Calgary

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Stephen Wood, MD, MSc, University of Calgary

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 1, 2011

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
October 1, 2014

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
October 1, 2014

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
January 27, 2011

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 27, 2011

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 31, 2011

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
January 8, 2015

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 7, 2015

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
January 1, 2015

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 21492

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Obstetric Labor, Premature

Clinical Trials on Vaginal progesterone

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings