Risk Factors of Premature Delivery and Its Prevention and Treatment

Objective The risk factors associated with premature delivery were analyzed and the measures to prevent premature delivery were explored. Methods Two hundred full-term deliveries and 212 premature deliveries including 134 spontaneous premature deliveries and 78 compelled premature deliveries during Jan. 2002 through May 2005 were compared to analyze the risk factor of premature delivery. Results Maternal age did not vary significantly between the full-term delivery and premature delivery group. Factors associated with premature delivery included frequency of prenatal examination, frequency of previous induced abortion, pregnant-induced hypertension, fetal distress, intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, premature rupture of membranes, multiple pregnancies, antepartum hemorrhage and fetal abnormal presentations. The preceding risk factors of compelled premature delivery were pregnant-induced hypertension, fetal distress, intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, multiple pregnancies. The major risk factors for spontaneous premature delivery were premature rupture of membrane and idiopathic premature delivery. Conclusion There are multiple risk factors associated with premature delivery, and spontaneous premature delivery and compelled premature delivery have different risk factors; the key issue to reduce the incidence of premature delivery is to attach attention to perinatal care, improve the management of high risk gestation and establish guidelines to prevent complications.