A blood test for identifying women at risk for preterm birth
Michigan: Researchers from Michigan State University revealed that a blood test during a routine prenatal visit could help identify women at risk for preterm delivery.
The findings of the study, published in the journal Biology of Reproduction, could help the doctor to monitor those patients closely who are at risk of preterm birth.
Globally, premature birth or preterm birth is a significant public health problem. This is because of associated neonatal mortality, disability and short- and long-term morbidity in later life. According to WHO, preterm is defined as babies born alive before 37 completed weeks of gestation (normal pregnancy lasts for about 4o weeks) or fewer than 259 days of gestation since the first day of a woman's last menstrual period (LMP).
"Preterm births are common," said Hanne Hoffmann, an assistant professor in the Department of Animal Science in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. "If we know the mother is at risk for a preterm birth, her doctor can monitor her more closely."
Hanne Hoffmann, an assistant professor in the Department of Animal Science in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and her colleagues studied 157 healthy mothers with no history of preterm births, among them 51 who subsequently gave birth preterm. Researchers looked at second trimester data for evidence of biomarkers that could signal preterm delivery.
DOI: https://academic.oup.com/biolreprod/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/biolre/ioab119/6302545
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