Dydrogesterone Use and Pregnancy-Associated Urinary Tract Infection: Associations with Hormonal, Cytokine, Renal and Bacterial Profiles

Abstract

Objective: To examine the association between dydrogesterone use and UTI in pregnant women, with attention to reproductive hormones, the cytokine markers Inter Leukin-17 (IL-17) and Matrix Metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), renal indices, bacterial etiology, and antimicrobial susceptibility.

Study Design: Experimental study.
Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at the Department of Microbiology, College of Science, Tikrit University, Salah al-Din, Iraq, from 12th May 2025 to 30th August 2025.

Methods: In this experimental study at Tikrit University and Tikrit Teaching Hospital, pregnant women were grouped by UTI status and dydrogesterone exposure. Serum estrogen. The levels of progesterone, IL-17, MMP-1, urea and creatinine were measured with ELISA. Urine from UTI Positive women was cultured, the isolates identified with the VITEK 2 system and susceptibility data was obtained. Was interpreted according to CLSI guidelines.

Results: Results: Estrogen was significantly elevated in the dydrogesterone group, especially when considering the UTI group. This difference remained after taking account of maternal age and pregnancy into the positive sub- group. stage. No significant difference was found for the other five metabolites: progesterone, IL-17, MMP-1, urea, and creatinine. UTI The occurrence and distribution of bacteria were not significantly related to susceptibility patterns. exposure.

Conclusion: The use of dydrogesterone was not significantly associated with UTI or renal, immune, or other complications. or microbiological change. The immune-endocrine profile is most likely to be high because of the increased oestrogen level of this type of profile. The interaction is not as a direct effect of the drug, but as an interaction occurring while the baby is in the mother's womb.