How to predict premature birth

Preterm birth is no longer a " face-to-face " affair for pregnant women. Scientists have just found a way to predict this phenomenon, based on the CRP index, a substance that indicates mild chronic inflammation.

Pregnant women need proper rest to prevent premature birth

"CRP is considered a useful tool to predict preterm birth," said Dr. Waranuch Pitiphat, Khon Kaen University, Thailand. Pregnant women with high levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in the first weeks of pregnancy are at high risk.

Pitiphat and his colleagues tested the amount of CRP in the blood of 117 pregnant women giving birth before 37 weeks of pregnancy and a full-term birth group. Blood sample collection time was from the 5th to 19th week of pregnancy. The results showed that the average CRP level in preterm births was 3.2 units, while in the usual group was 2.4. People with CRP of 8 or more units are 2.5 times more likely to be at risk. This relationship is completely independent of other factors related to preterm birth.

According to Pitiphat, the results are not surprising, because "mother's infection has led to premature birth", in which CRP is an indicator of this phenomenon.