COMPARISON OF THE EFFICACY OF PROGESTERONE AND NIFIDIPINE IN INHIBITING THREATENED PRETERM LABOR: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY

Abstract

Preterm Labor is a common obstetric problem. It is any birth that occurs before 37 completed weeks of gestation .The incidence is between 5% and 10% in most developed nations. In 2009, 13 million babies were born preterm, 11 million in Africa and Asia and 500, 000 in the USA, the highest rates of preterm birth are in Africa (11.9%) and North American (10.6%). Prematurity represents a major cause of perinatal death and long term handicap. Although the incidence of preterm Labor has not changed over many years, neonatology has advanced, and the survival of babies has improved. Yet, handicaps continue to occur in babies born at very early gestational ages. The majority of problems facing preterm neonates are mainly due to organ immaturity, particularly the lungs, and it seems clear that the severity is inversely proportional to gestational ages. Prevention is directed towards identification of women at risk recent studies have identified clinical, sonographic, and biochemical markers that help to identify the women at highest risk. Determining cervical length and measuring cervicovaginal fibronectin have been proposed as useful tools for evaluating women at risk of preterm birth and may identify those who might benefit from antenatal corticosteroids, but effective interventions to prevent preterm birth remain elusive.