Kristie McNealy, MD

As I mentioned last week, I’ll be focusing on prematurity related Medical Monday topics all November long for Prematurity Awareness Month.  Don’t forget to register for Fight for Preemies on November 17th!

**********

Doctors have a number of ways to predict which women will deliver their babies too soon,  but did you know that the presence of fetal fibronectin is the single strongest independent predictor of preterm birth at less than 32 weeks?  FullTerm™, the Fetal Fibronectin Test, is FDA approved for use in women between 22 and 35 weeks gestation with symptoms or risk factors of preterm birth.

Fetal fibronectin (fFN) is the glue that holds a baby in the womb.  It’s normally present in the vagina at the beginning of pregnancy, and appears again around 35 weeks, as the body begins to prepare for delivery.  Under normal cirumstances, there is virtually no fFN detectable between 22 and 35 weeks of pregnancy.

The FullTerm™ test is performed in your doctor’s office by inserting a swab into the vagina for 10 seconds.  It’s painless, and safe for both mom and baby.  If the test is negative, there is less than a 1% chance that a woman will deliver her baby spontaneously in the next two weeks.

On the other hand, if the FullTerm™ test is positive, it does not necessarily mean that the baby will be born in the next two weeks.  It can help a doctor manage a mother’s care more effectively though, by giving medications to delay delivery and mature the baby’s lungs.  In the event of a positive Fetal Fibronectin Test, cervical length measurements can give doctors even more information about the likelihood of preterm delivery.

You can learn more about risk factors for preterm birth, symptoms of preterm labor and the FullTerm™ test itself by visiting the FullTerm website.  I’ll be sharing my own personal experiences with the Fetal Fibronectin Test later this month.

Similar Posts:

• Preterm Labor Warning Signs – Blogging for Prematurity Awareness
• Preterm Labor Facts Every Woman Should Know
• Saliva Progesterone Levels Could Predict Preterm Labor
• A Brief Rant on Prematurity Awareness . . . Medical Monday