A recently published study indicates that medical devices called pessaries could prevent premature birth, which puts babies at a higher risk of developing conditions like cerebral palsy.
Doctors studied 385 pregnant women with short cervixes at five Spanish hospitals. Statistically, women with short cervixes are more likely to go into early labor. Nearly half (192) of the women were treated with the cervical pessary.
Overall, fewer women in the pessary group went into premature labor than did women in the non-pessary group (12 in the former, 52 in the latter). Percentagewise, six percent of the pessary group went into early labor, compared to 26 percent of the non-pessary group. The babies born in the non-pessary group had higher rates of low birth weight and respiratory distress syndrome.
Some women in the pessary group indicated that the device was painful. On average, the insertion of the device was a four and removal of the device a seven on the pain scale (ten being the highest number). Even though they experienced pain, 95 percent of the women in the group said they would recommend other women in similar circumstances go through with the procedure.
A pessary is a small circular device placed near the cervix. Pessaries have been used for nearly 50 years, though until now there have not been any randomized trials to study how effective they are at preventing premature birth. The pessaries in this trial were removed after 37 weeks or sooner.
A baby born prematurely is more susceptible to illnesses and birth trauma, putting them at a higher risk of developing cerebral palsy.
Researchers said that further study is needed across a wider sample to get a more accurate picture of how effective the device is. Until then, this is a promising development that could reduce birth defects.
Cappolino Dodd Krebs, LLP – birth trauma lawyers
