Cervical Mucus Test to Predict Preterm Births

A new approach has been developed by a research team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to predict the risk of preterm birth by analyzing the properties of cervical mucus. Preterm birth is one that occurs before the start of the 37th week of gestation. The research team found that cervical mucus of women who delivered preterm babies was different from that of women who delivered after 37 weeks. This discovery could offer an easy way to calculate the risk of early labor, allowing doctors to take steps to prevent preterm births.