Preterm birth

Preterm labor-when does it occur?

Preterm labor is defined as the birth of a child before the age of 37. Week of pregnancy (up to 36th week+6 days). Despite the development of perinatology and maternity care, preterm birth is still a very present problem. Due to the wide range of gestation time in which preterm labor can occur, the consequences vary. Others will be for a baby born prematurely at 24. week of pregnancy, and others at, say, 36 weeks. For this reason, it is very important to detect possible risk factors early and implement prevention. However, there is a sizable group of women who do not have these factors and yet give birth prematurely for reasons that are not always known.

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Problems of a newborn born prematurely

Preterm labor- causes

The immediate cause of preterm labor is most often as in the case of term pregnancies the shortening of the cervix and its dilation and the onset of regular uterine contraction activity. Risk factors for preterm labor include:

• Hypertension in the mother
• Preeclampsia
• Carotid insufficiency
• Premature drainage of amniotic fluid (PPROM)
• Diabetes
• Intrauterine infections

Sometimes the decision related to preterm labor is made by gynecologists. This happens in situations such as. abnormal KTG recordings, fetal growth retardation, or a threat to the mother’s life such as HELLP syndrome or pre-eclampsia. Caesarean section before 37. Weeks of pregnancy are performed in multifetal pregnancies such as 1-ovum twin pregnancies. Performing a cesarean section before 37. week, doctors always consider the ratio of possible benefits to the risks involved.

Preterm birth-prevention

Many situations in gynecology and obstetrics cannot be predicted. One of them is premature labor. Nevertheless, there are ways to prevent it. Among them are the use of vaginal progesterone, a pessary or a cervical suture. They are particularly useful in those women who have already experienced preterm labor or those who have a shortened cervix on second trimester ultrasound.

If there are symptoms suggestive of impending preterm labor, procedures are implemented to enable the baby to be prepared for birth as best as possible. These include steroid therapy, which affects fetal lung development, and the use of magnesium sulfate, which is designed to neuroprotect the baby’s brain. It is also possible to use the so-called. tocolysis, which temporarily quiets the labor, making it possible to transport the laboring woman to a center with a higher level of reference or to administer the aforementioned drugs. In the case of premature drainage of amniotic fluid, antibiotic therapy is implemented to avoid intrauterine infection.

Read more on this topic:
Preterm labor – can it be prevented?