Health

Simple swab test could predict if pregnant women will give birth prematurely


A SIMPLE swab test could predict whether women will give birth prematurely, a study says.

Scientists found mums who deliver early are more likely to have diverse vaginal bacteria in their first trimester.

 A simple swab test could identify women at risk of giving birth prematurely

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A simple swab test could identify women at risk of giving birth prematurelyCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Babies born more than three weeks before their due date – ahead of the 37th week of pregnancy – are considered premature.

They often suffer complicated medical problems and preterm birth is the leading cause of death in newborns.

There are many risk factors – maternal stress, age and low BMI – but exactly how and why it happens is less understood.

The team also noted specific microbes in those who delivered at full term.

The findings could help identify women most at risk of giving birth prematurely.

Dr Marina Sirota, at the University of California San Francisco, said: “We show a link between higher vaginal microbial diversity and premature birth, especially in the first trimester of pregnancy.”

“The findings could aid strategies to help prevent or delay premature birth.”

Dr Sirota added: “For most of these births, we don’t know why the women end up going into labour early and unfortunately, the limited number of therapies are often not effective.”

“New ways of identifying women at higher risk is sorely needed.”

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