Maternal Risk Factors and Neonatal Outcome of the Admitted Patients for Preterm Spontaneous Uterine Contractions

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth (PTB) is one of the most important unsolved problems in reproductive medicine. This study aims to evaluate several maternal risk factors and outcome of pregnancies who were admitted for preterm spontaneous uterine contractions (PSUC). METHODS: From September 2007 to February 2009, 327 cases who were admitted for PSUC were retrospectively studied. They were classified according to their fetal numbers and presence of true versus threatened preterm labor (PTL). RESULTS: There were 297 (90.82%) singleton, 27 (8.25%) twin and 3 (0.91%) triplet pregnancies. Only 12 women (3.6%) fulfilled the ACOG criteria for PTL who delivered in a few hours and 315 cases (96.3%) were classified as threatened PTL and most of them were discharged undelivered from the hospital. 103 cases were missed and 224 mothers and their 247 neonates remained. 121 women from this cohort had PTB and delivered before 259 days (54%). Pregnancy outcomes including; the time interval between admission for PSUC and delivery, the mean gestational ages at birth, birth weights, number and duration of NICU admissions were evaluated in each group. CONCLUSION: Regular uterine contractions even in the absence of cervical changes should be considered as a potential risk factor for PTB. The most frequently associated maternal risk factors were history of abortion, infertility and previous PTB, and the most frequently associated complications were preterm rupture of membranes, vaginal bleeding and febrile diseases.