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"A team of researchers that has confirmed the presence of bacteria in a woman's vagina and cervix may either increase the risk of premature birth or have a protective effect against it, has won the March of Dimes Award for Best Abstract on Prematurity at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting™. The findings will be presented Thursday, January 26, at 1:15 p.m. PST at Caesars Palace Augustus Ballroom in Las Vegas.
Michal Elovitz, M.D., and colleagues at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Maryland studied 2,000 pregnant women, taking vaginal swabs at three distinct time points in pregnancy, and performed analyses on the specimens to determine the microbial colonies that were present. They found that the presence of many bacteria actually conferred a lower risk of spontaneous preterm birth while other bacteria were associated with a significant increased risk. The bacteria associated with spontaneous preterm birth, in conferring either protection or risk, were different between African-American and non-African-American women.
Premature birth (before 37 weeks of pregnancy) is the #1 killer of babies in the United States and the leading cause of death in children under age 5 around the world. Babies who survive an early birth often face serious and lifelong health problems, including breathing problems, jaundice, vision loss, cerebral palsy and intellectual delays. In addition to the human toll, preterm birth accounts for more than $26 billion annually in avoidable medical and societal costs, according to the National Academy of Medicine..."
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