Having a severely premature baby is significant complication – we cannot prevent all form of prematurity but there are some things that we can do.

• Identify risk factors

• Have you had previous gynaecological surgery?
• Malformation of the uterus
• Previous baby born before 34 weeks

• What can we do?
  • Regular visits when you are pregnant
    • Assessing the cervical length via ultrasound at your routine scans
    • Infections screens – you should have a urine sample at your first pregnancy visit and infection should be treated promptly
• Modify some lifestyle factors including:
  • Smoking cessation
  • Dental health – infected gum and tooth decay is a significant cause of preterm birth (see section on how to brush your teeth)
  • Healthy lifestyle & weight loss(healthy BMI)

• Treatment options
  • Probiotics – see next section
  • Progesterone – discuss the role of progesterone with your health care provider
  • Steroids when your baby is viable and there is concern that premature birth is very likely
  • For a small group of patient a cervical suture is considered to prolong a pregnancy