The prevention of premature labor
There have been many studies on the prevention of
premature labor, and the Cochrane database alone
contains 17 meta-analyses on the subject (10).
The goal of primary prevention is to lower the
overall prevalence of premature labor by improving
maternal health in general and by avoiding risk
factors before or during pregnancy (8).
Smoking cessation alone lowers the risk of preterm
birth significantly (OR 0.84, 95% CI
0.72–0.98) (8). On the other hand, mothers who are
either underweight or obese, with a body-mass index
(BMI) above 35, have a significantly higher risk of
preterm birth. Mothers should make use of the nutritional
counseling that is included in Germany as a
regular component of preventive care in pregnancy.
For women with stressful jobs, physicians may
recommend a lower workload or even a temporary
cessation of work to lower the risk of preterm birth.
The goal of secondary prevention is the early
identification of pregnant women at an elevated risk
of going into labor prematurely, so that these women
can be helped to carry their pregnancies to term.