Preventing preterm birth: ‘do good or at least do no harm’

The first step in preventing preterm birth (PTB) is screening for risk factors and then assessing risk accurately. One of the most important risk factors is a history of spontaneous PTB or PPROM <34 weeks or late miscarriage. Considerable efforts have been made in recent years to identify tests predictive for spontaneous PTB in this high risk population. Cervical length, measured by transvaginal ultrasonography, and quantitative cervicovaginal fetal fibronectin concentrations are currently the best predictive markers for spontaneous PTB in asymptomatic women, mainly because of their high negative predictive values (Honest H et al, Health Technol Assess 2009;13:1-627). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.