Preterm Birth-Part 1: Predicting Risk

Course overview

Of approximately 3.7 million babies born annually, 10.4% are born prematurely. It is clear that PTB is one of the most challenging issues in perinatal medicine today. Predicting who is at risk of delivering early is one of the most frustrating tasks a perinatal provider undertakes. Approximately 50% of patients experiencing PTB have no known risk factors. Racial disparities and health inequalities are now playing a significant role. Failing to identify at-risk persons early and managing their pregnancy accordingly exposes hospitals, health systems, and individual providers to malpractice risk. It is important to adopt knowledge of evidence-based risk factors for spontaneous PTB (sPTB)and incorporate this into your patient assessments. This is Part 1 of a 3-part series focusing on how to predict spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) with evidence-based guidance in the obstetric population you serve.