A simple saliva test could help spot which expectant women are likely to go into premature labour, experts believe.
UK researchers at University College London and King’s College London found women going into labour very early, before 34 weeks gestation, had abnormally low progesterone levels in their saliva.
When they studied 92 women deemed to be at increased risk of having a preterm birth, they found the women who delivered spontaneously before 34 weeks had much lower salivary levels of progesterone than those giving birth at term, after 37 weeks.
This measurable difference in progesterone was apparent at all gestational ages from 24 weeks onwards. It is not clear how the hormone influences the timing of labour, but experts do know progesterone has anti-inflammatory properties, suggesting low levels of the hormone in the maternal body might contribute to bacterial infection - a recognised cause of preterm birth.
[Source]
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Chapter: Pregnancy ::
14 September 2009
