Claim: This Blood Test Could Help Predict If A Pregnancy Is At Risk For Premature Labor
Verdict: SUPPORTS

Retrieved passages:
title: Preterm birth
text: rupture the membranes or bleed preterm. The use of the fibronectin test and ultrasonography improves the diagnostic accuracy and reduces false-positive diagnosis. While treatments to arrest early labor where there is progressive cervical dilatation and effacement will not be effective to gain sufficient time to allow the fetus to grow and mature further, it may defer delivery sufficiently to allow the mother to be brought to a specialized center that is equipped and staffed to handle preterm deliveries. In a hospital setting women are hydrated via intravenous infusion (as dehydration can lead to premature uterine contractions). Severely premature infants may

title: Preterm birth
text: preterm labor. Specifically, the PPV, or positive predictive value, of the tests were 76%, 29%, and 30% for PAMG-1, fFN and CL, respectively (P < 0.01). Fetal fibronectin (fFN) has become an important biomarker—the presence of this glycoprotein in the cervical or vaginal secretions indicates that the border between the chorion and deciduas has been disrupted. A positive test indicates an increased risk of preterm birth, and a negative test has a high predictive value. It has been shown that only 1% of women in questionable cases of preterm labor delivered within the next week when the test was negative.

title: Fetal fibronectin
text: A negative result means that there is little possibility of preterm labor within the next 7 to 10 days, and the test can be repeated weekly for women who remain at high risk. A negative fetal fibronectin says that a patient has less than 5% chance of giving birth in the next two weeks. A positive result is a less reliable indicator that a woman will go into preterm labor. A systematic review of the medical literature found that fetal fibronectin is a good predictor of spontaneous preterm birth before cervical dilation. The test may be run on patients between

title: Placental alpha microglobulin-1 (PAMG-1)
text: (ROM) in non-laboring pregnant women presenting with unexplainable vaginal leakage. A small sub-segment of these investigations, however, have evaluated the ability of PAMG-1 to assess the risk of preterm delivery in pregnant patients presenting with signs or symptoms of preterm labor. The results of these studies suggested that a test for PAMG-1 that is more sensitive than the one investigated initially may prove to be a very powerful predictor of imminent spontaneous preterm delivery in patients with threatened preterm labor. Such a device was soon developed (commercially known as the PartoSure test) and was initially evaluated in a multicenter, multinational

title: Pregnancy
text: to 15 days after fertilization. A quantitative blood test can determine approximately the date the embryo was conceived because HCG doubles every 36 to 48 hours. A single test of progesterone levels can also help determine how likely a fetus will survive in those with a threatened miscarriage (bleeding in early pregnancy). Obstetric ultrasonography can detect fetal abnormalities, detect multiple pregnancies, and improve gestational dating at 24 weeks. The resultant estimated gestational age and due date of the fetus are slightly more accurate than methods based on last menstrual period. Ultrasound is used to measure the nuchal fold in order

title: Contraction stress test
text: monitoring. Uterine activity is monitored by tocodynamometer. The CST is used for its high negative predictive value. A negative result is highly predictive of fetal wellbeing and tolerance of labor. The test has a poor positive predictive value with false-positive results in as many as 30% of cases. A positive CST indicates high risk of fetal death due to hypoxia and is a contraindication to labor. Patient's obstetricians usually consider operative delivery in such situations. This "stress test" is usually not performed if there are any signs of premature birth, placenta praevia, vasa praevia, cervical incompetence, multiple gestation, previous classic

title: Beginning of pregnancy controversy
text: cause breastfeeding to be considered an abortion method. A protein called early pregnancy factor (EPF) is detectable in a woman's blood within 48 hours of ovulation if fertilization has occurred. However, testing for EPF is time consuming and expensive; most early pregnancy tests detect human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone that is not secreted until after implantation. Defining pregnancy as beginning at implantation thus makes pregnancy a condition that can be easily tested. The distinction in ethical value between existing persons and potential future persons has been questioned. Subsequently, it has been argued that contraception and even the decision not

title: Labor induction
text: shown a slight increase in risk of infant mortality for births in the 41st and particularly 42nd week of gestation, as well as a higher risk of injury to the mother and child. Due to the increasing risks of advanced gestation, induction appears to reduce the risk for caesarean delivery after 41 weeks' gestation and possibly earlier. Inducing labor before 39 weeks in the absence of a medical indication (such as hypertension, IUGR, or pre-eclampsia) increases the risk of complications of prematurity including difficulties with respiration, infection, feeding, jaundice, neonatal intensive care unit admissions, and perinatal death. Inducing labour after

title: Pregnancy test
text: Pregnancy test A pregnancy test attempts to determine whether or not a woman is pregnant. Indicative markers are found in blood and urine, and pregnancy tests require sampling one of these substances. The first of these markers to be discovered, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), was discovered in 1930 to be produced by the syncytiotrophoblast cells of the fertilised ova (eggs). While hCG is a reliable marker of pregnancy, it cannot be detected until after implantation; this results in false negatives if the test is performed during the very early stages of pregnancy. HCG can be detected via blood 8 days

title: Prenatal testing
text: level 2 ultrasound, can detect about 97% of neural tube defects such as spina bifida . Ultrasound results may also show "soft signs," such as an Echogenic intracardiac focus or a Choroid plexus cyst, which are usually normal, but can be associated with an increased risk for chromosome abnormalities. Other screening tests, such as the Quad test, can also have false positives and false negatives. Even when the Quad results are positive (or, to be more precise, when the Quad test yields a score that shows at least a 1 in 270 risk of abnormality), usually the pregnancy is normal,

title: Placental alpha microglobulin-1 (PAMG-1)
text: methods for assessing the risk of preterm delivery in patients with preterm labor. The authors concluded that PAMG-1 detection by PartoSure is the single best predictor of imminent spontaneous delivery within 7 days compared to cervical length measurement via transvaginal ultrasound with a cutoff of 25mm (CL), and fetal fibronectin testing (fFN) via a commercially available, rapid test. Furthermore, the authors suggested that the statistical superiority of PartoSure to fFN and CL with respect to SP and PPV (P < 0.01) provided evidence that PartoSure may serve to significantly enhance current practice and ultimately reduce unnecessary hospital admissions. The Spanish

title: Labor induction
text: whether it is best to have an induction or caesarean immediately, or to wait until labour happens by itself. Similarly, there is not yet enough research to show whether it is best to deliver babies prematurely if they are not coping in the womb or whether to wait so that they are less premature when they are born. Clinicians assess the odds of having a vaginal delivery after labor induction by a "Bishop score". However, recent research has questioned the relationship between the Bishop score and a successful induction, finding that a poor Bishop score actually may improve the chance

title: Prelabor rupture of membranes
text: uterine activity monitoring. This will also show whether or not uterine contractions are happening which may be a sign that labor is starting. Signs and symptoms of infection should be closely monitored, and, if not already done, a group B streptococcus (GBS) culture should be collected. At any age, if the fetal well-being appears to be compromised, or if intrauterine infection is suspected, the baby should be delivered quickly by induction of labour. Both expectant management (watchful waiting) and an induction of labor (artificially stimulating labor) are considered in this case. 90% of women start labor on their own within

title: Preterm birth
text: pattern, thus supporting the idea that preterm birth is a non-Mendelian trait with a polygenic nature. Placental alpha microglobulin-1 (PAMG-1) has been the subject of several investigations evaluating its ability to predict imminent spontaneous preterm birth in women with signs, symptoms, or complaints suggestive of preterm labor. In one investigation comparing this test to fetal fibronectin testing and cervical length measurement via transvaginal ultrasound, the test for PAMG-1 (commercially known as the PartoSure test) has been reported to be the single best predictor of imminent spontaneous delivery within 7 days of a patient presenting with signs, symptoms, or complaints of

title: Prenatal testing
text: the genetic abnormality). A higher maternal serum AFP level indicates a greater risk for anencephaly and open spina bifida. This screening is 80% and 90% sensitive for spina bifida and anencephaly, respectively. Amniotic fluid acetylcholinesterase and AFP level are more sensitive and specific than AFP in predicting neural tube defects. Many maternal-fetal specialists do not bother to even do an AFP test on their patients because they do a detail ultrasound on all of them in the 2nd trimester, which has a 97% detection rate for neural tube defects such as anencephaly and open spina bifida. Performing tests to determine

title: Postterm pregnancy
text: considered abnormal, and delivery may be indicated. Low amniotic fluid can cause pinching umbilical cord, decreasing blood flow to the fetus. Therefore, a score of 0 points for amniotic fluid may indicate the fetus is at risk. A woman who has reached 42 weeks of pregnancy is likely to be offered induction of labour. Alternatively, she can choose expectant management, that is, she waits for the natural onset of labour. Women opting for expectant management may also choose to carry on with additional monitoring of their baby, with regular CTG, ultrasound, and biophysical profile. Risks of expectant management vary between

title: Prenatal testing
text: of female medical students view this type of diagnosis in a positive light, agreeing that it is important for prenatal care. Overall, women responded optimistically that this form of diagnosis will be available in the future. In addition to the direct seeking of chromosomal abnormalities and spina bifida, the blood tests can suggest additional conditions: Disability rights activists and scholars have suggested a more critical view of prenatal testing and its implications for people with disabilities. They argue that there is pressure to abort fetuses that might be born with disabilities, and that these pressures rely on eugenics interests and

title: Midwifery
text: analysis (UA), and blood tests including a complete blood count (CBC), blood typing (including Rh screen), syphilis, hepatitis, HIV, and rubella testing. Additionally, women may have chlamydia testing via a urine sample, and women considered at high risk are screened for Sickle Cell disease and Thalassemia. Women must consent to all tests before they are carried out. The woman's blood pressure, height and weight are measured. Her past pregnancies and family, social, and medical history are discussed. Women may have an ultrasound scan during the first trimester which may be used to help find the estimated due date. Some women

title: Placental alpha microglobulin-1 (PAMG-1)
text: pilot study, that included 101 consecutively recruited pregnant women with singleton pregnancies who presented with symptoms of preterm labor, clinically intact amniotic membranes, and minimal cervical dilatation. In this group, the PartoSure test provided a 97.4% and 93.6% negative predictive value, and 78.3% and 87.0% positive predictive value for the prediction of imminent spontaneous delivery within ≤7 and ≤14 days, respectively, and 90.0% and 80.0% sensitivity and 93.8% and 96.1% specificity for ≤7 and ≤14 days, respectively. A second peer-reviewed, published study by this same group of authors involved 203 patients and sought to compare the PartoSure test to standard

title: Labor induction
text: 34 weeks and before 37 weeks in women with hypertensive disorders (pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, pregnancy-induced hypertension) may lead to better outcomes for the woman but does not improve or worsen outcomes for the baby. More research is needed to produce more certain results. If waters break (membranes rupture) between 24 and 37 weeks' gestation, waiting for the labour to start naturally with careful monitoring of the women and baby is more likely to lead to healthier outcomes. For women over 37 weeks pregnant whose babies are suspected of not coping well in the womb, it is not yet clear from research