Can hormones prevent premature birth?

Premature birth is the biggest single cause of death and disability in babies. Recent studies suggest the hormone progesterone can cut the risk of preterm labour. By studying exactly how progesterone works, researchers hope to reveal better ways to stop babies being born too soon.

What's the problem and who does it affect?

The dangers of being born too soon

Around 50,000 babies are born prematurely each year in the UK. These babies, especially those born very prematurely, are more at risk of dying or becoming seriously ill. Premature birth can result in blindness, deafness, cerebral palsy and developmental delay - disabilities which can bring a lifetime of suffering.

Many premature babies must spend weeks or even months in hospital in intensive care, even when the outcome is good. Sadly, some anxious new parents find it hard to bond with their baby during this scary time.

Doctors lack understanding of how preterm labour starts

Some women, such as those having twins, are at high risk of giving birth too early. Yet, until recently, doctors had no way to prevent premature birth.

Recent studies suggest that treating pregnant women with the hormone progesterone can decrease their chances of going into labour early. But no-one knows how this treatment works.

With inadequate funding from the government or larger charities, researchers rely on charities like Action Medical Research to support studies into premature birth.

What is the project trying to achieve?

Blame it on blood cells

The researchers will study how preterm labour starts and how the hormone progesterone may prevent it. They will concentrate on the role of white blood cells.

In normal labour, white blood cells are activated in the bloodstream and migrate to the womb. Researchers think these cells might also play a key role in triggering preterm labour. They suspect progesterone prevents preterm labour by blocking the activation of white blood cells.

Researchers will take blood samples from several groups of pregnant women. They will study how white blood cells change during labour, both premature and at term, and during progesterone treatment.

What are the researchers' credentials?

This project is a unique collaboration between immunologists with expertise in white blood cells and clinicians with a research interest in preterm labour.

Dr Jane Norman is a leading expert in labour. She has published papers on seminal studies into how labour starts and on clinical trials that will improve the health of pregnant women and their babies. She is regularly invited to give talks on labour, both in the UK and internationally, and has recently edited a book on the subject.

The team has access to excellent facilities and specialised equipment within Glasgow Royal Infirmary, where over 5,500 babies are born each year.

Who stands to benefit from this research and how?

From increased knowledge come new treatments

This study should reveal a great deal of fundamental information on how premature labour starts - on the role of white blood cells in triggering labour and on how progesterone treatment may prevent it.

Researchers believe this important new information will lead to better ways to stop babies being born too soon. They hope to identify the best way to use progesterone, to make it more effective. And they plan use their extra knowledge to develop novel treatments.

Saving lives, preventing disability

In the UK, where 50,000 babies are born prematurely each year, potential benefits are enormous. This research could also improve the health of babies worldwide, especially in developing countries, where neonatal intensive care facilities are harder to come by.

As well as saving babies' lives and preventing disability, preventing premature birth will also save the NHS money. Babies who sadly go on to develop long-term problems will sometimes need specialised care for the rest of their lives. The financial cost of looking after a profoundly disabled child for the duration of his or her life can be as high as £5 million.