Preterm birth is not a single entity but rather multifactorial The mechanisms underlying preterm birth are multifactorial and include stretch, oxidative stress, inflammation, infection and thrombosis. 85% of women have no identifiable risk factors for preterm birth and there is a requirement to develop a biomarker which can be used early in pregnancy to identify such women at risk. Equally important is to have a detection tool which will allow us to offer an individualised approach to preterm birth prevention and the women to benefit personalised surveillance and timely preventative measures such as cervical cerclage or progesterone.~The aim of this study is to collect samples from pregnant women in order to identify biomarkers that relate to onset of spontaneous preterm labour. We will use maternal blood, urine and vaginal secretion to look for biomarkers in these samples which can be use in the clinical setting to determine which women will go on to give birth preterm. This will allow clinicians to correctly identify these women and initiate treatment in the right woman to prevent preterm labour and birth. Equally important it will reduce unnecessary intervention and admission in those women who are not at risk.
This study will collect samples from pregnant women in order to identify biomarkers that relate to onset of spontaneous preterm labour.