Positive effect of estradiol and progesterone in severe pre-eclampsia.

We have used estradiol benzoate (E) and Progesterone (P) for the treatment of severe pre-eclampsia and obtained good results in 8 cases. To assess the placental function, we serially measured leucine aminopeptidase (placental type, P-LAP) in serum. As a new trial, we used E and P in place of the hypotensive and diuretic drugs in 8 cases of severe pre-eclampsia. In a typical case, a patient at week 31 of gestation suffered from highly elevated blood pressure (190/130 mmHg) and proteinuria; at this time we started the treatment with E (20 mg/day) and P (80 mg/day), and continued it for 23 days with increasing doses. By this treatment the blood pressure was gradually decreased and the edema improved; the serum P-LAP increased gradually. At week 35, the P-LAP activity decreased suddenly despite the steroid treatment suggesting a placental dysfunction. At this stage we made Cesarean section and a male infant weighing 1.750 g (Apgar score 8) was delivered alive. Until now we have experienced 7 other cases of the successful treatment with the E and P.