Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have found that a simple test of cervical mucus may reveal pregnant women's risk of going into labor too early.Up to 18 per cent of babies born worldwide arrives before they are full-term, defined as 37 weeks of gestation. The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports , showed that cervical mucus from women who delivered their babies before 37 weeks was very different from that of women who delivered later. This type of analysis could offer an easy way to calculate the risk of early labor, potentially allowing doctors to try to intervene earlier to prevent preterm births.
"Our prediction is that we might be able to identify risk for preterm birth ahead of time, before labor sets in," said the senior author of the study, Associate Professor at MIT. Between 25 and 40 percent of early births are believed to be caused by…
