The detection of certain molecules through a urine test can help predict premature birth and poor fetal growth during early pregnancy.
One in every eight infants in the United States is born prematurely. Preterm births are also the cause of 35 percent infant deaths in the country, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. Though the reasons behind premature birth are several, there are a few ways in which pregnant women can prevent such occurrences. For this, early detection of any threat can be very helpful. Researchers from Imperial College London found that the detection of molecules known as metabolites can help.
The patterns of metabolites in these molecules in the urine can indicate whether a baby will be born preterm or the fetus will suffer poor growth. The study was conducted on 438 pregnant women. After analyzing the metabolites in their urine, researchers found that elevated urinary levels of the amino acid lysine were associated with spontaneous preterm birth.
Researchers also noted that a reduction in levels of acetate, formate, tyrosine and trimethylamine, was a strong indicator of poor fetal growth. It also increased the risk of diabetes.
"While we know that metabolism in the mother changes substantially during pregnancy to help supply the growing fetus with nutrients, we were surprised to see so early in pregnancy this link between metabolites that are detected in a urine sample and low birth-weight," Dr. Hector Keun, lead researcher from the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London, said in a press statement. "Our findings imply that it could be possible to improve the identification of women at higher risk of delivering smaller babies or preterm delivery using non-invasive metabolic profiling technology early in pregnancy."
Premature birth and poor fetal growth have many health implications, resulting in a higher risk of developing metabolic and cardiovascular disorders later in life. A March 2014 study revealed that premature birth increased asthma risk by 70 percent. Researchers said that further studies need to be conducted in order to determine whether these urine molecules are pregnancy induced or a general risk factor.
"Future investigation of the factors that produce the molecules associated with these pregnancy outcomes should improve our understanding of the genetic and environmental factors that influence restricted fetal growth and thus help us to reduce the likelihood of these events," Keun said. "We will also go on to test if exposure to these metabolites during pregnancy has a lasting impact on child development after birth."
Premature babies are born before they are ready to leave the womb, and hence, face many health problems. Some of these problems include jaundice, anemia, heart murmurs, Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), apnea and bradycardia, Chronic Lung Disease/Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD) and Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS).
According to the World Health Organization, 15 million babies are born before term every year and this number is still rising. The WHO also revealed that more than one million babies die due to premature complications and preterm birth remains the leading cause of death among new-born babies.
Fortunately, more than three-quarters of premature babies can be saved with feasible, cost-effective care - even without neonatal intensive care.
The current study was published online in the open access journal BMC Medicine.
