Obstetrics and gynecology
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Obstetrics and gynecology · May 1996
Multicenter StudyThe preterm prediction study: fetal fibronectin testing and spontaneous preterm birth. NICHD Maternal Fetal Medicine Units Network.
To evaluate the presence of fetal fibronectin in the cervix and vagina as a screening test for spontaneous preterm birth. ⋯ A positive cervical or vaginal fetal fibronectin test at 22-24 weeks predicted more than half of the spontaneous preterm births at less than 28 weeks (sensitivity 0.63). As the definition of spontaneous preterm birth was extended to include later gestational ages or when the fetal fibronectin test was performed later in pregnancy, the level of association between a positive fetal fibronectin test and spontaneous preterm birth, while remaining highly significant, tended to decrease. Although fetal fibronectin is an excellent test for predicting spontaneous preterm birth, we present no evidence that the use of this test will result in a reduction in spontaneous preterm birth.
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Obstetrics and gynecology · May 1996
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyThe preterm prediction study: fetal fibronectin, bacterial vaginosis, and peripartum infection. NICHD Maternal Fetal Medicine Units Network.
To determine the relation between vaginal and upper genital tract infection and cervical-vaginal fetal fibronectin levels. ⋯ Women with bacterial vaginosis were more likely to have a positive fetal fibronectin test than uninfected women. Women with a positive fetal fibronectin test who delivered before 32 weeks' gestation all had evidence of histologic chorioamnionitis. Women positive for fetal fibronectin also had a 16-fold increase in clinical chorioamnionitis and a sixfold increase in neonatal sepsis. There is strong evidence that upper genital tract infection and cervical and/or vaginal fetal fibronectin are closely linked.