New research helps explain how progesterone prevents preterm birth

The proteins prevent preterm birth by hindering apoptosis -- the normal, orderly death of cells -- in the fetal membranes. Stronger, thicker fetal membranes are less likely to rupture prematurely leading to premature delivery, according to the study led by Errol R. Norwitz, MD, PhD, Ob/Gyn-in-Chief at Tufts Medical Center and chairman of Obstetrics/Gynecology at Tufts University School of Medicine.

"Dr. Norwitz's research adds to our basic understanding of what triggers labor, how the fetal membranes rupture and the role progesterone plays," said Alan R. Fleischman, MD, medical director of the March of Dimes.

In the United States, more than half a million babies are born preterm each year. Preterm birth, before 37 weeks of pregnancy, is a serious health problem that costs the United States more than $26 billion annually. It is the leading cause of newborn death, and babies who survive often face the risk of lifetime health challenges. Even infants born just a few weeks early have higher rates of hospitalization and illness than full-term infants. The last few weeks of pregnancy are critical to a baby's health because many important organs, including the brain, are not completely developed until then.