Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Jul;150(1):10-16.
doi: 10.1002/ijgo.13173.

Preterm parturition and pre-eclampsia: The confluence of two great gestational syndromes

Aswathi Jayaram  1 , Charlene H Collier  1 , James N Martin  1
Affiliations
Review

Preterm parturition and pre-eclampsia: The confluence of two great gestational syndromes

Aswathi Jayaram et al. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2020 Jul.

Abstract

Background: Preterm birth (PTB) and pre-eclampsia independently, and frequently concurrently, adversely affect the pregnancy outcomes of millions of mothers and infants worldwide each year.

Objectives: To fill the gap between PTB and pre-eclampsia, which continue to constitute the two most important current global challenges to maternal and perinatal health.

Methods: Pubmed, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched from inception until December 2019 using the terms spontaneous PTB (SPTB), indicated preterm delivery (IPTD), early-onset pre-eclampsia, and pre-eclampsia.

Results: History of PTB and pre-eclampsia were the strongest risk factors contributing to the occurrence of SPTB or IPTB. The risk of PTB and pre-eclampsia among non-Hispanic African American women was higher than the rate among all other racial/ethnic groups in the United States. Low-dose aspirin (LDA) has been reported to reduce the risk of pre-eclampsia by at least 10% and PTB by at least 14%. Lastly, women and their fetuses who develop early-onset pre-eclampsia are at higher risk for developing hypertension and cardiovascular disease later in life.

Conclusions: While better clarity is needed, efforts to coordinate prevention of both PTB and pre-eclampsia, even though imperfect, are critically important as part of any program to make motherhood as safe as possible.

Keywords: Aspirin; Eclampsia; Indicated preterm birth; Pre-eclampsia; Preterm birth.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Behrman RE, Butler AS. Preterm Birth: Causes, Consequences, and Prevention. ????: Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Understanding Premature Birth and Assuring Healthy Outcomes; 2007.
    1. Liu L, Oza S, Hogan D. Global, regional, and national causes of child mortality in 2000-13, with projections to inform post-2015 priorities: An updated systematic analysis (vol 385, pg 430, 2014). Lancet. 2015;385:420.
    1. Lorenz JM, Ananth CV, Polin RA, D'Alton ME. Infant mortality in the United States. J Perinatol. 2016;36:797-801.
    1. World Health Organization. Preterm birth: Fact sheet 2016 (updated November 2016). 2016.
    1. Martin JA, Osterman MJK. Preterm births - United States, 2006 and 2010. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2013;62:136-138.

LinkOut - more resources