Predicting Preterm Birth

Predicting Preterm Birth

High-risk mothers with a shortened cervix in the second trimester of pregnancy are significantly more likely to give birth to a premature baby, according to a study in the Sept. 18 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. UAB ob/gyn John Owen, M.D., says that cervical length is a predictor of preterm birth among women who have previously given birth prematurely. The researchers found that women with shorter than average cervixes were 3.3-4.5 times more likely to give birth prematurely than were women in the study whose cervical lengths did not shorten. Owen explains the relationship as a continuum: the shorter the cervix, the higher the risk for preterm birth.

Contact Tracy Bischoff, Media Relations, 205-934-8935 or [email protected].

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