Trying to stop early labor

Researchers are looking at a new treatment to keep women from going into early labor. This will hopefully protect some of those babies from brain damage.

The research is being done in the UK where over 60,000 babies are born prematurely every year. Premature birth is the second leading cause of death for babies with about 1,500 dying each year.

And those who survive often struggle. Many have debilitating problems such as cerebral palsy, blindness, and learning difficulties. In spite of the tremendous incentive to discover a preventive for early deliver, little is known about what causes it.

Most attempts to stop early deliver focus on stopping or slowing contractions. Drugs like tocolytics can slow down labor but only be a couple of days. The research is being led by professor Mark Johnson at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London and others. “We believe that a key to better, preventative treatment could involve a molecule called cAMP. Preliminary data suggests drugs that target cAMP might both decrease a woman’s chances of going into labour early and protect her baby from the harmful effects of infection,” explained Dr. Johnson.

Infection may play a large part in preterm labor causing its onset and possibly brain damage in the unborn baby. Ultimately the researchers hope to find a way of protecting the baby and the mother from unanticipated problems in birth which have long term implications on the family.

Source: Action Medical Research, Medical News Today