New discovery shows hormone progesterone helps prevent premature births
Posted on February 08th, 2010 in Health News
By Gillian
Mumbai: A baby is said to be born premature if born within 37 weeks of pregnancy. A normal pregnancy is said to last around 40 weeks.
Premature babies are more likely to die or suffer neurological problems. Now a new research in US shows how the hormone progesterone acts to prevent premature births.
Studies suggest that progesterone supplements taken at certain times during pregnancy may prevent premature births in about one-third of high risk women. However the way in which the hormone works has been unclear.
The Yale team has shown that the hormone progesterone can prevent apoptosis in foetal membranes which helps in preventing premature births.
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