BACKGROUND Preterm delivery increases the risk of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Studies suggest that maternal diet may affect the prevalence of preterm delivery. The aim of this study was to assess whether maternal intakes of seafood and marine long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCn-3PUFA) from supplements were associated with preterm delivery. METHODS The study population includ...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine the diagnostic performance of ultrasonographic measurement of the cervical length and vaginal fetal fibronectin determination in the prediction of preterm delivery in patients with preterm uterine contractions and intact membranes. STUDY DESIGN Ultrasound examination of the cervical length and fetal fibronectin determination in vaginal secret...

BACKGROUND Preterm delivery is the most common cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality in the United States. There is evidence that cervicovaginal infection could predispose to preterm labor. This study explored a possible association of evidence of inflammation on an otherwise normal Papanicolaou smear obtained during pregnancy with subsequent preterm labor and preterm delivery. METHODS Us...

OBJECTIVE To examine preterm delivery risk in relation to maternal HIV infection, malaria history, and other infections among Zimbabwean women. DESIGN Hospital based, cross sectional study. SETTING Harare Maternity Hospital, Harare, Zimbabwe. SUBJECTS A convenient sample of 500 pregnant women. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Preterm delivery. THE STUDY FACTORS: Maternal socio-demographic informati...

BACKGROUND Use of narcotic or "recreational" drugs has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm delivery. However, the associations might be confounded by other factors related to high-risk behaviours. This is the first study to investigate the association between traditional opium use during pregnancy and risk of preterm delivery. METHOD AND FINDINGS We performed a pop...

Evidence indicates that nutrients and minerals might play an important role in preterm delivery (PTD). The aim of this study was to determine maternal nutritional status during second trimester of pregnancy and its association with preterm delivery (<34 weeks gestation) in Iranian women. In a large scale longitudinal study, 1033 pregnant women were recruited from prenatal clinics since December...

Preterm birth is the most common reason for perinatal morbidity and mortality in the western world. It has been shown that in euthyreotic pregnant women with thyroid autoimmune antibodies, L-Thyroxine replacement reduces preterm delivery rate in singleton pregnancies. We investigated in a nonrandomized retrospective observational study whether L-Thyroxine replacement, maintaining maternal free ...

background: although several studies have investigated the association between maternal exposure to air pollution and preterm birth, the results are inconsistent. the aim of this study was to further investigate the relation between maternal exposure to ambient air pollution during pregnancy and the risk of preterm birth and low birth weight (lbw) in an iranian pregnant population. materials an...