Progesterone and Postpartum Smoking Relapse: A Pilot Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Randomized Trial

Conclusions:
Although the study was not powered to evaluate abstinence rates, we did observe a higher prevalence of abstinence at week 4 in the PRO group. Further, exogenous progesterone was well tolerated and did not adversely affect depressive symptoms or breastfeeding. Thus, the results of this pilot study indicate further investigation into progesterone as a postpartum relapse prevention strategy is warranted.

Implications:
This innovative pilot trial determined the feasibility of delivering exogenous progesterone as a potential prevention of postpartum smoking relapse. We observed high retention and moderate adherence rates, as well as high acceptability among participants. Further, though not statistically significant, more women in the treatment group remained abstinent from smoking during follow-up. This project adds to the growing body of literature on the role of sex hormones in smoking relapse and also provides support for a fully powered clinical trial.

Source: Nicotine and Tobacco Research - October 7, 2016 Category: Addiction Authors: Allen, S. S., Allen, A. M., Lunos, S., Tosun, N. Tags: Original Investigation Source Type: research