A study conducted at Stanford University provides yet another reason why getting early and consistent medical care during pregnancy can help your unborn baby.
According to the report, infections may play a bigger role in premature birth than doctors once thought. One in seven women in preterm labor was suffering from an infection at the time. Now, we are not talking about a cold or minor viral illness. These were bacterial or fungal infections that can linger as a result of not being detected soon enough.
The key area is the fluid in which the baby lives called the amniotic fluid. The more heavily infected the amniotic fluid, the more likely the woman was to deliver a younger, sicker baby.
Certain infections, such as vaginal or urinary tract infections, are known to raise the risk of premature birth, presumably by causing inflammation that in turn triggers labor.
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