(February 5, 2010 - Insidermedicine)

From Chicago - Doctors can reduce the risk of preterm birth by conducting ultrasound screening for a short cervix, according to a report presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine (SMFM). Researchers estimated the outcomes and costs of screening cervical length in all women--not just those at high risk for preterm birth. They found that such universal screening would actually reduce costs, improve quality of life and decrease neonatal deaths.

From Columbia - According to a report published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, HPV vaccination in young women may decrease occurrence of several genital diseases. Researchers studied over 17,000 15 year old women, finding that HPV vaccination resulted in a reduction in the risk of lesions, genital warts, abnormalities on pap smears, as well as the need for procedures such as colposcopy.

And finally, back to Chicago - According to another report presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine, scientists may have identified the process by which the hormone progesterone wards off preterm birth. Many preterm births occur because the fetal membranes are weakened by apoptosis and then rupture. Researchers have found, however, that progesterone can inhibit apoptosis and thereby prevent preterm birth.