New test being developed to predict pre-term labour

A test is being developed by Melbourne researchers in the hope of being able to predict pregnant women likely to go in to have premature births to providing better care to pre-term babies.

It’s hoped a test could give doctors a better indication of the risk of going into early labour.

Senior research fellow Dr Harry Georgiou from the University of Melbourne told Ross and John preventing labour was incredibly difficult.

But he said a test early in the pregnancy, in the form of a vaginal swab, could help doctors provide better care and plan for a pre-term infant.

“The issue here is we don’t really know who is most at risk in developing early term labour,” he said.

“We want to be able to pick these women as early as possible, hopefully around mid-pregnancy and that way we can assign them to various levels of care depending on what their level of risk is.”

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