Will we one day be able to predict – and therefore prevent – premature births? Representing 8% of births in France according to the association SOS préma, they intervene before the 37e week of pregnancy. According to one new study American published this January 12 in the journal Nature Microbiologychemicals found in the vagina of pregnant women could have an impact on the occurrence of premature births.
Researchers at Columbia University followed 232 women in their second trimester of pregnancy until the birth of their child: among them, 80 gave birth prematurely. They paid particular attention to the vaginal metabolome, or the set of small molecules found in a part of the body. “The metabolome can be considered as a functional reading of the ecosystem as a whole”indicates in a communicated Pr Tal Korem, who participated in the study.
Report : Women who gave birth before 37 weeks of pregnancy had a particularly high level of non-organic chemicals, that is to say, which are produced neither by humans nor by microbes. While the source of these products was not formally identified in the participants, the study claims that they could also “be found in cosmetics and hygiene products”.
“Our findings suggest that we need to take a closer look at whether common environmental exposures actually cause preterm births and, if so, where these exposures come from.”Professor Korem said in a statement.
Prevent premature births
Even today, there is no no way to predict or prevent preterm birth spontaneous. But “the good news is that if these chemicals are to blame, it may be possible to limit these potentially harmful exposures.”he continues.
“Our results demonstrate that vaginal metabolites have the potential to predict, months in advance, which women are likely to give birth early.“, states the study. An algorithm based on the levels of development is thus in progress by the research team but must still be improved and validated before it can be used in the clinic.
If confirmed, this discovery could bring hope in research against prematurity. According to’national perinatal survey conducted by Inserm and Public Health France in 2022 covering the year 2021, the number of premature births has not decreased since 2016.
Sources:
- Preterm birth is associated with xenobiotics and predicted by the vaginal metabolome, Nature MicrobiologyJanuary 12, 2023
- Preterm birth linked to chemicals found in the vagina, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, January 13, 2023