Preterm Birth: can we do better?

October 2016 – Published in the peer-reviewed journal, Proceedings in Obstetrics and Gynecology, the authors present a clinical treatment protocol for testing women early in pregnancy with a validated biomarker test for preterm birth risk, and administering recommended interventions based on a woman’s individual risk.  The paper, Preterm Birth: can we do better? discusses:

• The clear need to validate biomarkers that provide quantitative, individualized assessment of risk early in pregnancy.
• That physicians must increase efforts to optimize current treatments and invest in the development of new interventions and focus on incremental improvements in neonatal health and cost reduction.
• Beneficial interventions for high-risk women that include screening and treatment for cervical shortening or infection, referrals to maternal-fetal specialists, progesterone therapies, and other treatments such as tocolytics and steroids.

http://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1307&context=pog