Preterm Birth - Diagnosis

Diagnosis

A helpful clinical test should predict a high risk for preterm birth during the early and middle part of the third trimester, when their impact is significant. Many women experience false labor (not leading to cervical shortening and effacement) and are falsely labeled to be in preterm labor. The study of preterm birth has been hampered by the difficulty in distinguishing between "true" preterm labor and false labor. These new tests are used to identify women at risk for preterm birth.