Is striae gravidarum a sign of spontaneous premature birth?

Background: This study aimed to investigate the association of striae gravidarum (SG) and preterm delivery.

Material And Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study was performed between November 2018 and February 2019. In addition to demographic variables, SG score of the abdomen, presence of striae on breasts, arms, hips, and thighs were recorded. Davey's scoring system was used to define the severity of SG in the abdomen by the same investigators. Patients with cervical dilatation of 6 cm or more were included in the preterm labor group.

Results: A total of 292 women were included in the study. Of these, 176 (60.3%) had no SG, 20 (6.8%) had mild SG, and 96 (32.9%) had severe SG. Davey's score was lower in the group of patients with preterm birth than in the term birth groups ( = .002). SG in the breasts was more common in the preterm labor group than in the term birth group ( = .007). Also, the presence of SG in the legs was less common in the preterm labor group than in the term birth group ( < .001). In a logistic regression model, stria in the breasts revealed most significant in preterm delivery.

Conclusions: No difference was found in the pregnancy length in gestational weeks among groups of different SG severity. The Davey's score and the presence of striae in the legs and breasts were found different between the preterm and term birth groups, and the term birth subgroups.