PreTRM for Moms Insight to Help Prevent Preterm Labor
Preterm birth is a leading cause of infant mortality and morbidity. Unfortunately, many mothers who are at-risk of delivering early go undetected by current assessment methods.
What is the PreTRM Test?
The PreTRM® Test is a first-of-its-kind blood test ordered during weeks 18 through 20 of pregnancy that measures proteins in your blood. These proteins offer critical data that informs if you are at higher risk of premature birth. Armed with the PreTRM report, you and your doctor can build a treatment plan to protect your baby’s health.
What is preterm birth?
Premature birth—also called preterm birth—typically occurs when a baby is born three or more weeks before their due date, or before 37 weeks’ gestation. In the United States, 10% of babies are born prematurely.1
While not all premature babies face complications, those born earlier tend to experience more severe medical problems than those born later. Prematurity is also the leading cause of newborn death in the United States.
How can the PreTRM Test help?
Until recently, there have been limited ways to predict each woman’s risk of preterm delivery. The traditional methods can only predict a fraction of spontaneous preterm births that eventually occur. For most mothers, spontaneous premature birth has been a completely unexpected event.
This means that many women are not aware of their risk of preterm birth and might not get the extra care that could help give their baby the best start in life.
The PreTRM Test measures proteins in the blood to achieve a more accurate prediction of your risk of preterm birth. When a pregnancy is known to be at a higher risk, there are steps doctors and mothers can take to improve a baby’s chance of a healthy start.
Talk to your Doctor about the PreTRM Test
Only you and your doctor can make the best decisions for you and your baby. Because the Sera PreTRM Test is relatively new, not every physician offers it as part of routine pregnancy care. If you are interested in taking this test, talk to your doctor to find out if it is right for you.
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References
- Hamilton BE, et al. Births: Provisional data for 2020. Vital Statistics Rapid Release; no 12. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. May 2021