IS AMNIOTIC FLUID ANALYSIS DURING THE SECOND TRIMESTER A PREDICTOR FOR THE DETECTION OF PRETERM LABOR?

Abstract

Objective: Premature activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis due to stress can initiate preterm labor. Many mechanisms have been proposed to explain etiopathogenesis. The most important one is clinical and subclinical chorioamnionitis. We aimed to assess the possibility of early detection and prevention of preterm labor based on second trimester amniotic fluid analysis. Material and Method: One hundred and twenty-five pregnant women with singleton pregnancies who underwent amniocentesis were included. The first 2 cm(3) of the amniotic fluid obtained during the amniocentesis was used for glucose, interleukin-1, interleukin-6, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, electrolytes, progesterone/estrogen analysis, and cell counts. Results: Sixteen women (13.8\%) went into labor prior to 37 weeks of gestation. The mean age of the study population was 33.2 +/- 6.25 years. Ages were similar between the preterm and term groups (36.06 +/- 3.91 vs 32.77 +/- 6.43). Furthermore, the analysis of all parameters in the amniotic fluid did not show any statistical significant difference between the groups. Conclusion: The possible effects of subclinical infection and steroid hormonal changes that are implied in the etiology of preterm labor were investigated in our study, and no evidence was found to support that these factors played a role in the etiology of preterm labor.