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Ban on Public Smoking Linked to Fewer Preterm Deliveries

Posted 7 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, March 6 – A smoking ban in Scotland is associated with decreases in preterm deliveries and underweight babies, a new study finds. The nationwide ban on smoking in public places took effect in March 2006. The researchers analyzed data on preterm delivery and small-for-gestational-age babies born between January 1996 and December 2009. The number of mothers who smoked dropped from more than 25 percent before the smoking ban to about 19 percent after the ban. The researchers also found that preterm deliveries fell by more than 10 percent, while there was a nearly 5 percent decrease in the number of infants born small and a nearly 8 percent decrease in the number of infants born very small. These decreases in preterm deliveries and underweight babies occurred both in mothers who smoked and in those who had never smoked, a finding that highlights the impact of secondhand smoke, the ... Read more

Related support groups: Smoking, Premature Labor, Prematurity/Underweight in Infancy

Steroids May Boost Survival for Very Preemie Babies

Posted 6 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Dec. 6 – Giving steroids to pregnant women at risk for preterm birth as early as 23 weeks during their pregnancy may boost an infant's overall chance of survival and reduce the baby's risk of serious developmental issues, including brain injury, a new study says. The study, published in the Dec. 7 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, is potentially significant, according to experts who are not affiliated with the study. Current guidelines suggest administering prenatal steroids to women who are at risk for delivering between the 24th and 34th week of their pregnancy, but make no recommendations about what to do if women show signs of labor before week 24. Most "full-term" babies are born between 38 and 42 weeks. Steroids help the infants' lungs develop and this increases survival rates and lowers their risk of brain injury. The new study provides some ... Read more

U.S. Preterm Birth Rate Down Slightly

Posted 1 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Nov. 1 – The rate of preterm births in the United States dropped slightly, to 12.2 percent in 2009, from its high three years earlier, according to a new analysis by the March of Dimes. But those numbers fall far short of the March of Dimes' goal of 9.6 percent by 2020, explained Dr. Jennifer Howse, president of the March of Dimes. "Things are getting a little bit better. We're excited to report progress for three years in a row," said Howse. "Our rate of preterm birth is just too high though." Vermont, which already has a 9.3 percent rate, was the only state to earn an "A" on the March of Dimes 2011 Premature Birth Report Card. Grades were arrived at by comparing a state's preterm birth rate to the 2020 goal. Nationwide, the new figures represent a decline of almost 5 percent from 2006, when the preterm rate peaked at 12.8 percent of all live deliveries. The improvement ... Read more

Related support groups: Premature Labor

Poor Sleep Might Be Linked to Preterm Labor

Posted 1 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Nov. 1 – Pregnant women who have trouble sleeping or experience sleep disruptions during their first or third trimesters are more likely to deliver prematurely, according to a new study. Sleep problems in the second trimester, however, were not associated with increased chances of preterm birth. Researchers don't know why there may be a connection between sleep and preterm labor, although hormones or other biological influences may play a role. One possibility is that poor sleep combined with stress may result in inflammation, which could trigger preterm delivery. The link between sleep and preterm labor was seen even when researchers controlled for other factors that could impact preterm labor, such as other medical conditions. Researchers said improving the sleep habits of expectant mothers early on may help reduce the risk of preterm births. The study appears in the Nov. 1 ... Read more

Related support groups: Sleep Disorders, Premature Labor

Hormonal Disorder Linked to Pregnancy Complications: Study

Posted 14 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Oct. 14 – A common hormonal disorder among women known as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) seems to be associated with an increased risk for pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia, diabetes and premature birth, a new study indicates. PCOS affects between 5 percent and 15 percent of women of reproductive age, according to background information in the study published in the Oct. 13 online edition of BMJ. Symptoms include irregular periods, ovulation problems, weight gain and excessive hair growth, and women with the disorder typically have small cysts on their ovaries. In the study, Swedish researchers compared just under 3,800 births among women with PCOS with nearly 1.2 million births among women without the condition, and found that women with PCOS were more likely to be obese and to use assisted reproductive technology. Women with PCOS were 45 percent more likely to ... Read more

Traffic-Related Pollution Tied to Raised Risk of Preemie Birth

Posted 7 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Oct. 7 – Traffic-related air pollution may put pregnant women at risk for a premature birth, according to a new study. Researchers looked at 100,000 births among women in California who lived within five miles of an air quality monitoring station. The births spanned a 22-month period from June 2004. Exposure to traffic-related air pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) was associated with up to a 30 percent greater risk of premature birth; exposure to ammonium nitrate fine particles was associated with a 21 percent increased risk, and exposure to benzene and fine particulate matter from diesel fumes was associated with a 10 percent higher risk, the University of California researchers found. The study is published online Oct. 6 in the journal Environmental Health. "Air pollution is known to be associated with low birth weight and premature birth. Our results ... Read more

Related support groups: Premature Labor

Progesterone Treatment Cuts Preterm Birth Risk in Certain Women

Posted 6 Apr 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, April 6 – Progesterone treatment lowers the risk of preterm birth in women with a short cervix, a new study shows. Progesterone is a naturally occurring hormone that plays an important role in maintaining pregnancy. It's believed that a short cervix – a known risk factor for preterm birth – may be a sign of a shortage of progesterone. This study included 458 women with a short cervix (10-20 millimeters) who were randomly assigned to receive either a vaginal gel with progesterone or a placebo between the 19th and 23rd week of pregnancy. The rate of preterm delivery at less than 33 weeks pregnancy was 8.9 percent for women who received the progesterone treatment and 16.1 percent for those who received the placebo. There were also differences between the two groups in rates of preterm births before 28 and 35 weeks of pregnancy. The researchers also found that infants born to ... Read more

Early Birth Risky, Even With Fully Developed Lungs: Study

Posted 13 Feb 2011 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Feb. 11 – Even if their lungs are mature, babies delivered at 36 to 38 weeks are at significantly increased risk for respiratory and other health problems, new research indicates. In the study, which did not include babies with major birth defects, researchers compared babies with fetal lung maturity who underwent scheduled delivery at 36 to 38 weeks to those delivered at 39 to 41 weeks. Infant outcomes examined in the study included: admission to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU); length of stay in the NICU; overall respiratory problems; respiratory distress syndrome; need for mechanical ventilation; sepsis, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar); and death. Despite having fully developed lungs, scheduled delivery at 36 to 38 weeks was associated with many more health problems, the investigators found. The study was scheduled to be presented Friday at the Society for ... Read more

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FDA Approves Makena to Reduce Risk of Preterm Birth in At-Risk Pregnant Women

Posted 5 Feb 2011 by Drugs.com

SILVER SPRING, Md., Feb. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Makena (hydroxyprogesterone caproate) injection to reduce the risk of preterm delivery before 37 weeks of pregnancy, in pregnant women with a history of at least one spontaneous preterm birth. The drug is not intended for use in women with a multiple pregnancy, such as a twin pregnancy, or other risk factors for preterm birth. The FDA approved Makena under the agency's accelerated approval regulations that allow promising drugs to be approved based on a surrogate endpoint benefit (here, reducing the risk of delivery before 37 weeks of pregnancy) that is reasonably likely to predict a clinical benefit. Under these regulations, the manufacturer must conduct additional studies after the product is approved to demonstrate that the drug does, in fact, have a clinical benefit. An ... Read more

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Study Suggests Link Between Diet Sodas, Preterm Delivery

Posted 25 Aug 2010 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Aug. 24 – Could drinking one or more artificially sweetened, carbonated diet sodas a day boost a woman's odds of premature delivery? A new study from Denmark suggests such a link. The researchers looked at the soft drink habits of nearly 60,000 Danish women enrolled in a national study there from 1996 to 2002. The investigators found a link between the intake of diet carbonated drinks and, to a lesser extent, diet noncarbonated drinks and delivering a baby early. The study is published online and in the September print issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In the report, the researchers conclude: "Daily intake of artificially sweetened soft drinks may increase the risk of preterm delivery." The researchers defined preterm as delivering before 37 weeks' gestation. They categorized the women into groups depending on beverage drinking habits: those who never drank ... Read more

Related support groups: Premature Labor

Safety of Labor-Delaying Drugs Questioned

Posted 6 Mar 2009 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, March 6 – Certain drugs used to delay preterm labor can cause serious complications in women, a European study finds. Doctors use tocolytic drugs to delay labor for up to 48 hours. In this way, they gain time to allow steroids to hasten fetal lung development. These delays also enable the expectant mother to be transferred to a medical facility with a neonatal intensive care unit, according to background information in the study. The most widely used tocolytic drugs include beta agonists and nifedipine (which relax smooth muscles, including the uterus), and atosiban and indometacin (which inhibit hormones involved in labor), according to the study. However, the use of these drugs is controversial, because it's not clear whether tocolysis is safe for both mother and baby. The researchers analyzed the rate of serious complications in 1,920 women treated with tocolytic drugs for ... Read more

Related support groups: Premature Labor

Multiple Doses of Steroids Don't Help Preemies

Posted 18 Dec 2008 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Dec. 18 – Pregnant women at risk of preterm delivery who are given multiple doses of steroids to help their fetus tend to give birth to low birth-weight babies with smaller head circumference, a new study found. A single dose of corticosteroids had been the standard of care for many years to reduce the chances of infant mortality, respiratory distress syndrome, and bleeding in the brain. And, it was thought that women who remained at risk of preterm birth after an initial dose would benefit from repeated doses. "A single course of steroids is given to all women at risk of preterm birth, and that still holds," said study lead author Dr. Kellie E. Murphy, who's with Mount Sinai Hospital's Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, in Toronto, Canada. "The results of this trial will change clinical practice worldwide," she said. "It will conclusively stop practitioners from ... Read more

Related support groups: Premature Labor

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Related Condition Support Groups

Prematurity/Underweight in Infancy, Labor and Delivery including Augmentation

Related Drug Support Groups

progesterone, nifedipine, Prometrium, Crinone, terbutaline, Endometrin, Brethine, ritodrine, Prochieve, view more... Cyclogest, Bricanyl, Yutopar, Progest, Progestasert System, Makena, Brethaire, hydroxyprogesterone, Gestone