Children whose mothers received prenatal progesterone have been shown to be advanced in development at one year and to have greater academic achievement at 9–10 years. This study compares the educational attainments at 17–20 years of 34 progesterone children with 37 normal and 12 toxaemic controls. More progesterone children continued schooling after 16 years compared with controls; a higher proportion left school with ‘O’ level and ‘A’ level passes, the average number of passes per child was greater at both levels and more obtained a university place. The best academic results were in those whose mothers had received over 5 grams of prenatal progesterone, and for whom administration commenced before the sixteenth week and treatment lasted longer than eight weeks.

A prospective study of mood changes through pregnancy and puerperium was undertaken by a research group centred on the North Middlesex Hospital, Edmonton, London. Data collected from 189 women revealed an evolution of mood changes in those who later developed puerperal depression, which was characterized by anxiety at the first ante-natal visit, elation during later pregnancy and depression in the puerperium. The findings were in agreement with other workers in this field. The arguments in favour of a hormonal aetiology of puerperal depression are presented.

Toxaemia of pregnancy remains the “disease of theories” both in respect of its causation and treatment. Among the many treatments suggested, although not generally accepted, is the administration of progesterone from the middle trimester for the relief of toxaemic symptoms (1, 2 and 3). An unexpected finding has been the clinical observation that children of progesterone-treated mothers appear to reach their milestones earlier and to make excellent progress at school.