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Treating Infections Before Pregnancy May Help Prevent Premature Birth, March of Dimes Says
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., AUGUST 16 – Women who are thinking of having a baby should see their health care provider to be tested and treated for a vaginal or urinary tract infection before conception to help prevent premature birth, a leading cause of infant death and disability, the March of Dimes said today.
"Just because a woman doesn’t have the symptoms of an infection doesn’t mean it isn’t present," said Donald R. Mattison, M.D., medical director of the March of Dimes. "And especially for women who have had a previous preterm baby, getting diagnosed and treated before the next pregnancy may make the difference between a preterm baby and a healthy full-term baby."
Dr. Mattison’s comments came in response to an article published today in The New England Journal of Medicine that found treatment of pregnant women with asymptomatic trichomoniasis does not prevent preterm delivery.
"We hope the findings of this study will not lull clinicians and women into thinking that treatment for infections won’t help," Dr. Mattison said. He noted that treating urinary tract infections and certain sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia and gonorrhea has been shown to prevent preterm delivery or fetal infection.
Dr. Mattison said that for certain infections it is important for a woman’s sexual partner also to be tested and treated, to avoid re-infection.
In addition, he said, some experts recommend that pregnant women with a history of preterm delivery should ask their physicians about using a condom during sex in order to avoid re-infection or new infection.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, between 1981 and 1998, the rate of preterm births in the United States increased 23 percent (from 9.4 percent to 11.6 percent, respectively).
"Prematurity remains one of the most vexing infant health problems facing the nation, both in terms of the babies who die or who are seriously impaired, and in terms of increased health care costs," Dr. Mattison said. "To better understand the factors leading to premature labor and delivery, we must have more innovative studies like this one and others by the Network of Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units."
Dr. Mattison said the March of Dimes is working to help change such tragic statistics by funding a multi-center study that examines many possible causes of preterm delivery, including biological and socioeconomic factors.
Preterm or premature birth is defined as birth prior to the 37th week of pregnancy. Approximately 440,000 preterm babies are born in the United States each year, many of whom require treatment in newborn intensive care units for complications of their prematurity. About 75 percent of infant deaths in the first month of life occur among preterm infants. Preterm delivery is the most common cause of low birthweight (defined as less than 2,500 grams or 5 pounds, 8 ounces), and babies born too small are 40 times more likely to die in the first month of life. These babies are also at greater risk for mental retardation, blindness, and learning disabilities.
Trichomoniasis (also called tric) is a sexually transmitted disease caused by a parasite that can be present in the vagina for years without causing symptoms. It is diagnosed by examining a drop of vaginal fluid under a microscope.
"Failure of Metronidazole to Prevent Preterm Delivery Among Pregnant Women With Asymptomatic Trichomonas Vaginalis Infection," by Mark A. Klebanoff, M.D., M.P.H., of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and colleagues, was published in The New England Journal of Medicine, volume 345, number 7, August 16, 2001.
The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies. For more information, call 1-888-MODIMES.
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