Click the link below to read a fantastic article regarding preterm birth and its many causes. For me, the take-home message is – not much is known on how to diagnose and treat preterm labor, but researchers are beginning to piece the puzzle together!
“The reasons for premature birth are not well understood. Sometimes the mother develops hypertension, often called preeclampsia, and blood flow to the placenta is disrupted. In other instances, the placenta fails to grow, or it abruptly detaches, as was the case with Caroline. Other women have “cervical incompetency”—the cervix dilates early and labor begins. Infections, particularly of the mother’s genito-urinary tract, can induce pre-term labor as well. There are also cases in which there is no apparent precipitant.”
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/10/24/111024fa_fact_groopman#ixzz1jCRpQSMH
