Dra. Ivone Lobo

Ginecologista Obstetra
Sub especialista em Medicina Materno Fetal
Diretora do Serviço de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia

Prematurity Point of view from obstetrics

HPA Magazine 22 // 2024

On November 17th, Prematurity Day is celebrated worldwide. We consider all babies born before 37 weeks of gestation to be premature.
Globally, it is estimated that 13 million babies are born prematurely around the world every year, which corresponds to 25 premature babies per minute. Around 1 million children die annually worldwide from complications related to prematurity. In Portugal, 8% of babies are born prematurely. In our Service, 6.7% were born prematurely in 2023.
Therefore, it is important that we take preventive measures to reduce the number of premature babies as much as possible.
Premature births can be spontaneous or caused by medical reasons (maternal or foetal, such as high blood pressure or foetal growth restriction).

Generally speaking, there are 3 levels of Preterm Birth Prevention:
> Primary prevention: Interventions are carried out aimed at all women during the pre-conception period and during pregnancy.
> Secondary prevention: Interventions are targeted at women identified as having a specific risk factor. It involves a thorough history, clinical examination, and, often, a predictive test to identify women who are more likely to have a preterm birth, such as measuring cervical length via ultrasound or performing a foetal fibronectin test. These high-risk women can then receive therapies such as progesterone or cerclage.
> Tertiary prevention: Interventions are carried out after the onset of preterm labour, aimed primarily at improving the health of premature newborns early in life.

During the interpregnancy period and during pregnancy, our team always tries to detect risk factors for premature birth in order to act at different levels of prevention.