Khurram Ahmad, Aisha Malik, Wasim Yusuf.
Perinatal Morbidity and Mortality in cases of Preterm Labour, an Antegrade Study conducted at Lady Willingdon Hospital, Lahore.
Biomedica Jan ;16:74-7.

Onset of labour after 24 weeks and before 37 weeks of the gestation is labeled as preterm labour. This is associated with multiple complications, one group of those which lead to the pre-term labour and the other which are the result of prematurity. So as a result perinatal morbidity and mortality rises significantly in these cases. Risk factors which lead to the preterm labour are infection (chorioamnionitis), congenital fetal abnormality or uterine abnormality, intra uterine death, poly hyderamnios, multiple pregnancy, trauma and fibroid uterus. Complications which result from the prematurity are respiratory distress syndrome, reduced threshold for infection and associated low birth weight. To improve fetal out come it is important to recognize causative factor and manage it accordingly to prevent preterm labour. Complications related to prematurity can be anticipated and avoided by steroid injection, active management of the labour, delivery by cesarean section in low birth weight babies and pediatrician attending the delivery.

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