hormone cuts risks of preterm birth
by KeriLyn Wick

oo little, too soon. Babies born prematurely, before thirty-seven weeks, enter the world fighting to survive. Preemies often are at risk for lifelong or life-threatening health problems. But new research shows that injections of a progesterone hormone drug during pregnancy can prevent recurrent preterm births.

.: Photo by Kate Robertson, Palo Alto Weekly. Click to enlarge. :.

Carolina took part in a multi-center study to investigate the drug 17-alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17P) in preventing preterm births. Pregnant women who had previously given birth before the thirty-seventh week of pregnancy received weekly 17P injections. The hormone reduced the risk of delivery before thirty-seven weeks by 34 percent and the risk of birth before thirty-two weeks by 42 percent.

"This is the first progress we've had on the prevention end," says John M. Thorp, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the School of Medicine and principal investigator at the Carolina site. "Billions of healthcare and family dollars are spent on neonatal care for premature babies. To have a preventative tool is a big deal." 17P has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and could be offered as a preventative treatment soon.

arolina will participate in another clinical trial to test the combined effects of 17P with omega-3 fatty acids — found in fish and certain plant oils — in reducing premature births. Thorp says women who eat fish have longer pregnancies, and studies indicate dietary supplements of omega-3 fatty acids prolong gestation. In this new study, all women will be treated with 17P and will be randomly selected to receive either an omega-3 supplement or a placebo. Researchers hope this supplement will provide a nutritional way to boost the positive effects of 17P in preventing premature births.

Nineteen members of the Maternal Fetal Medicine Units Network of the National Institute of Child Health participated in the study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health. The UNC-Chapel Hill trial included researchers from the Departments of Pediatrics and of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Maternal Infant Health Center, and the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research.

KeriLyn Wick is a clinical research scientist in Research Triangle Park.

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