A study at Stanford University School of Medicine found a potential link between preterm birth and infection in the amniotic fluid. The study involved testing the amniotic fluid of women in preterm labor for bacteria or fungi.
Researchers found that 15 percent of the samples tested positive for bacteria or fungi, a large increase from previous findings regarding the role of infection in preterm labor. They also found a link between the level of infection and the risk of delivering a younger preterm infant. The infants were generally sicker than in mothers without infection.
Researchers believe the presence of the infection results in an inflammatory response in the body of the pregnant woman. This response triggers preterm labor in some women. Bacteria and fungi can infiltrate the amniotic fluid in a few ways, through the vagina, the mouth or via the mother’s blood stream.
Further research is planned in this area. For the next study, the Stanford researchers plan to test the fluid of women undergoing an amniocentesis. This will provide for a larger sampling and will allow researchers to test the fluid prior to the onset of preterm labor. Once this data is collected, researchers hope to use it to reduce the rate of preterm labor caused by infection.
They are hoping this information can be used to detect the presence of bacteria and fungi before the woman is in labor. The hope is that this information can be used to treat the infection, preventing the preterm labor from occurring. It is known that some infections, such as bacterial vaginosis, contribute to preterm labor. This study tested a much larger sampling of bacteria and fungi.
Preterm labor is a stressful and expensive phenomenon, causing far reaching problems, and the effects often last well into childhood. If the future planned research is successful, preterm labor caused by infection could be reduced, or even eliminated in the future.
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