Research from Amsterdam UMC shows that treatment with Progesterone can reduce the risk of severe preterm birth in pregnant women with a short cervix. In this article, you’ll learn all about this research from mid-March 2024.
Short Cervix
Pregnant women who have a short cervix around 20 weeks of pregnancy are at an increased risk of delivering prematurely. Preventing preterm birth in pregnant women with a short cervix is a crucial step in protecting the health of the child. Research from Amsterdam UMC indicates that if a pregnant woman has a short cervix around 20 weeks of pregnancy, treatment with the hormone Progesterone is better than a pessary at reducing the risk of severe preterm birth.
Amsterdam UMC
Research Professor of Obstetrics Eva Pajkrt states: “This is an important improvement that can contribute to reducing preterm births and associated complications, such as an increased risk of infant mortality and long-term health problems for the child.” Preventing preterm birth is a major priority at the obstetrics department of Amsterdam UMC. The research was published in BMJ in mid-March 2024. This study was made possible by the Dutch Foundation for the Prevention of Preterm Birth: stoptevroegbevallen.nl (website in Dutch).
Preterm
Birth Did you know that 13.5 million children are born prematurely worldwide each year? That’s equivalent to 1 in 9 babies. Unfortunately, 1 million of these babies die because they are born too soon. This makes preterm birth a serious issue with far-reaching consequences. Children born prematurely are at a higher risk of lifelong complications, both physical and developmental. Preterm birth is defined as birth occurring before 37 weeks of gestation.
Treatment with Progesterone
Amsterdam UMC investigated the best treatment for women with a cervix shorter than 25 mm at the 20-week ultrasound, as they have an increased risk of preterm birth for their child. 25 centers participated in this research. The cervix was measured in a large group of pregnant women. Women with a short cervix were eligible to participate in the study. The results of this study show that Progesterone is more effective than a pessary in reducing extreme preterm birth. This research underscores the importance of measuring the length of the cervix during the 20-week ultrasound. Additionally, it is important to inform women who have a shortened cervix. If it is shorter than 25 mm, they should be informed about the possibility of treatment with Progesterone.
Short Cervix & Progesterone
For women with a cervix length between 25 mm and 35 mm, there was no significant difference in the number of complications resulting from preterm birth between the group using Progesterone and the group using a pessary. Pajkrt explains: “Based on our research, we recommend measuring the length of the cervix during the 20-week ultrasound for all pregnant women. Women with a cervix shorter than 25 mm should be informed about the possibility of treatment with Progesterone.”
Photo: Pexels foto/zwangere-vrouw-fotoshoot-618923/ ā pexels-leah-newhouse-618923.jpg – My English is not very good, so Iām translating this with the help of Google Translate and ChatGPT.