Assessing the relationship between intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy and exogenous progesterone intake

Abstract Aim: Progesterone metabolites are known to be elevated in the serum of patients with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP), and exogenous progesterone supplementation in early pregnancy may cause an increase in progesterone metabolites. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between ICP and exogenous progesterone intake. Materials and Methods: This study is a retrospective case-control study conducted between January 2015 and November 2023. The groups liver function tests, total bile acids, maternal age, body mass index, parity, history of cholestasis, history of progesterone use, gestational week in which pruritus symptoms occurred, gestational week, in which ICP was diagnosed, history of ursodeoxycholic acid intake, obstetric pathology, maternal comorbidities, week of delivery, delivery method, birth weight, APGAR scores were obtained from the database of our hospital and compared. Results: A total of 379 pregnant women including 79 with ICP and 300 control patients were included in the study. Nulliparity, history of cholestasis, and history of progesterone intake were significantly higher in the ICP group than in the control group. Conclusion: Intake of exogenous progesterone in early pregnancy may lead to ICP and have adverse effects on the fetus. Further studies are needed to investigate the role of progesterones in the development of ICP.