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
. 2023 Sep;66(5):337-346.
doi: 10.5468/ogs.23022. Epub 2023 Jul 13.

How to screen the cervix and reduce the risk of spontaneous preterm birth in asymptomatic women without a prior preterm birth

Seon Ui Lee  1 , Gyul Jung  1 , Han Wool Kim  1 , Hyun Sun Ko  1
Affiliations

How to screen the cervix and reduce the risk of spontaneous preterm birth in asymptomatic women without a prior preterm birth

Seon Ui Lee et al. Obstet Gynecol Sci. 2023 Sep.

Abstract

Preterm birth (PTB) is a leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality globally. PTB rates have increased in South Korea despite reduction in birth rates. A history of PTB is a strong predictor of subsequent PTB and screening of cervical length between 16 0/7 weeks and 24 0/7 weeks of gestation is recommended in women with a singleton pregnancy and a prior spontaneous PTB. However, the prediction and prevention of spontaneous PTBs in women without a prior PTB remain a matter of debate. The scope of this review article comprises cervical screening and prevention strategies for PTB in asymptomatic women without a prior PTB, based on recent evidence and guidelines.

Keywords: Cervix; Length; Preterm birth; Ultrasonography.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Chawanpaiboon S, Vogel JP, Moller AB, Lumbiganon P, Petzold M, Hogan D, et al. Global, regional, and national estimates of levels of preterm birth in 2014: a systematic review and modelling analysis. Lancet Glob Health. 2019;7:e37–46. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Blencowe H, Cousens S, Chou D, Oestergaard M, Say L, Moller AB, et al. Born too soon: the global epidemiology of 15 million preterm births. Reprod Health. 2013;10(Suppl 1):S2. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Korean Statistical Information Service . Live births by sex, period of pregnancy of provinces [Internet]. Daejeon (KR): Korean Statistical Information Service; c2022. [cited 2022 Oct 19]. Available from: http://kosis.kr/eng/statisticsList/statisticsListIndex.do .
    1. Lee JH, Noh OK, Chang YS. Neonatal outcomes of very low birth weight infants in Korean neonatal network from 2013 to 2016. J Korean Med Sci. 2019;34:e40. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Serenius F, Källén K, Blennow M, Ewald U, Fellman V, Holmström G, et al. Neurodevelopmental outcome in extremely preterm infants at 2.5 years after active perinatal care in Sweden. JAMA. 2013;309:1810–20. - PubMed