An exploratory study of associations with spontaneous preterm birth in primigravid pregnant women with a normal cervical length.

Background: Predictors of spontaneous preterm birth in primigravid women remain undetermined.

Aim: We evaluated whether biomarkers in vaginal secretions and/or differences in the dominant bacterium in the vaginal microbiome predicted the risk for spontaneous preterm birth in primigravid women with a cervical length >25mm.

Study Design: In a prospective study, 146 second trimester pregnant women with their first conception and a cervix >25mm were enrolled.

The influence of race on cervical length in pregnant women in Brazil.

Objectives: Short cervical length is a predictor of preterm birth. We evaluated if there were racial differences in variables associated with cervical length in pregnant Brazilian women.

Methods: Cervical length was determined by vaginal ultrasound in 414 women at 21 weeks gestation.

Vaginal Biomarkers That Predict Cervical Length and Dominant Bacteria in the Vaginal Microbiomes of Pregnant Women.

In many impoverished regions of the world, it may not be possible to assess two major risk factors for preterm birth: a short cervical length and the depletion of vaginal lactobacilli. We determined whether measuring specific compounds in vaginal fluid might be a simple, noninvasive, and cost-effective way to predict the bacteria that dominate the vaginal microbiome and indicate the presence of a shortened cervix (<25 mm). Vaginal fluid samples were prospectively collected from mid-trimester pregnant women, and the concentrations of d- and l-lactic acid, tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases TIMP-1 and TIMP-2, matrix metalloproteinases MMP-2 and MMP-8, the 70-kDa heat shock protein, a2 isoform of vacuolar ATPase, and sequestrome-1 were quantified by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).