Now, a simple blood test to predict premature births
POSTED April 20, 2011 - 15:29 | POSTED BY Yashika kapoor
Last edited by Silky Chandvani on April 20, 2011 - 17:09
As per the findings of the latest study, a simple blood test of pregnant women, done in between the third to fifth month, is 80 percent more accurate in estimating if the baby will be born prematurely or on time.
Dr. Steven Graves from the Brigham Young University (BYU) and Dr. Sean Esplin from the University of Utah jointly conducted the present study that aims to help doctors in getting rid of complications in pregnancies and making sure that the baby is delivered safely.
The study is also aimed at finding a solution for lowering the number of preterm deaths in babies.
"What's been missing is a way of assessing risk. Our approach has been to look at the naturally occurring molecules that are present in woman's blood to see if we can identify the peptides and small proteins that are at quantitatively different levels in women who go on to have these complications,” stated Dr. Graves.
Adding to this, Dr. Esplin said, "With preterm birth, if we could even prolong a pregnancy by one or two weeks, we could make a very big impact on the number of babies that survive and make sure that those that survive are healthy. With just one intervention, we could have a really huge impact."
Study details
For the study, clinical trials of molecules of the blood, relating to complications in pregnancy, were carried out by the researchers.
Further, they found three peptide bio markers which can predict whether the baby will have a preterm birth or a normal one.
The blood molecules of 80 women who gave birth to premature babies were examined by the study authors.
“Knowing she is at high risk for pre-term birth is a big advantage for the mother when it comes to decisions about travel and activity level. A new hormone treatment can help a baby stay in the womb a little longer,” Dr. Esplin informed.
What makes the procedure more inviting is that it involves no complexities, and only a simple blood test in a 24-weeks pregnant woman can help in finding out about chances of a preterm birth.
This new procedure is under the patent right of BYU and the University of Utah and Sera Prognostics will offer the test in the market in early 2012.
The study has been detailed in the online edition of the 'American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.'
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