FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDE INTRAPARTUM COMPLICATIONS

FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDE INTRAPARTUM COMPLICATIONS PRETERM LABOR AND BIRTH Preterm Labor – cervical changes with contractions between 20 and 36 6/7 weeks gestation Preterm Birth – A birth occurring before the completion of 36 6/7 weeks gestation Low Birth Weight – Refers to the weight not the length of gestation Preterm Labor - Cervical change and uterine contractions occurring between 20 and 37 weeks. Preterm Birth - Any birth that occurs BEFORE 37 weeks gestation. Preterm Labor and Birth Risk factors for spontaneous preterm birth – Box 32-1 Common causes of indicated preterm birth – Box 32-2 Biochemical maker for preterm birth – fetal fibronectin Diagnostic test for preterm labor Most serious complications of pregnancy; lead to about 75% of the perinatal mortality today. Unable to predict; cause is unknown Risk Factors: Genital Tract Infection; multifetal gestation; 2nd trimester bleeding; low pre-pregnancy weight; history of previous spontaneous preterm birth. Common Causes: PreEclampsia, fetal distress, intrauterine growth restriction, placental abruption, IUFD, diabetes, renal disease, Rh sensitization, congenital malformations. Fetal Fibronectin Testing fFN appears in cervical and vaginal secretions early in pregnancy and then again in late pregnancy Presence during late 2nd and early 3rd trimesters may be related to placental inflammation, one cause of preterm labor. Used more often to predict who will not go into labor early because early labor is unlikely to occur with a negative result Test is not a very sensitive predictor of preterm labor (only predicts 25% of preterm labors)