الفهرس 
Preterm LabourOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Preterm delivery refers to birth between the onset of viability and completed 37 week’s gestation. Preterm labor is usually defined as regular contractions accompanied by cervical changes occurring at less than 37 weeks’ gestation.
In about half of the cases, the cause of preterm delivery is un known. However, accumulating evidence suggests that subclinical intrauterine infection maybe responsible for the majority of cases.
Preterm infants are at risk for specific diseases such as respiratory distress syndrome, intraventricular hemorrhage, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, patent ductus arteriosus, necrotizing entericolitis, sepsis, apnea and retinopathy.
Preterm birth is the ultimate result of several different pathways that culminate in the initiation of labor before 37 weeks’ gestation. It is useful to place preterm births in two broad categories- those that are obstetrically indicated and those that are spontaneous.