Good practice recommendations on spontaneous preterm birth
(2026) In European Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology 326. p.1-12- Abstract
Preterm birth continues to affect 5 to 12% of all live births in Europe and remains a leading cause of neonatal mortality and short- and long-term morbidity. Despite decades of research and clinical innovation, the overall burden has not substantially declined, and in several European settings rates are rising. This paper is a European Association of Perinatal Medicine (EAPM) Good Practice Recommendation which synthesises current evidence on spontaneous PTB (sPTB) risk and management, and examines why preterm birth persists as a clinical and public health challenge. We review the epidemiology, classification, and aetiology of sPTB; the role of the maternal microbiome; evidence-based preventive strategies; perinatal management; and... (More)
Preterm birth continues to affect 5 to 12% of all live births in Europe and remains a leading cause of neonatal mortality and short- and long-term morbidity. Despite decades of research and clinical innovation, the overall burden has not substantially declined, and in several European settings rates are rising. This paper is a European Association of Perinatal Medicine (EAPM) Good Practice Recommendation which synthesises current evidence on spontaneous PTB (sPTB) risk and management, and examines why preterm birth persists as a clinical and public health challenge. We review the epidemiology, classification, and aetiology of sPTB; the role of the maternal microbiome; evidence-based preventive strategies; perinatal management; and neonatal care. We highlight the importance of a multicomponent and evidence-based approach, focusing on primary, secondary and tertiary prevention, to reduce the human and societal cost of preterm birth across Europe.
(Less)
- author
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026-08-22
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- European Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology
- volume
- 326
- article number
- 115389
- pages
- 1 - 12
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:42664766
- scopus:105048623245
- ISSN
- 0301-2115
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2026.115389
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Copyright © 2026. Published by Elsevier B.V.
- id
- 8717335a-34c5-4aed-b425-3f3e364bbb1a
- date added to LUP
- 2026-09-09 09:39:07
- date last changed
- 2026-09-24 04:47:45
@article{8717335a-34c5-4aed-b425-3f3e364bbb1a,
abstract = {{<p>Preterm birth continues to affect 5 to 12% of all live births in Europe and remains a leading cause of neonatal mortality and short- and long-term morbidity. Despite decades of research and clinical innovation, the overall burden has not substantially declined, and in several European settings rates are rising. This paper is a European Association of Perinatal Medicine (EAPM) Good Practice Recommendation which synthesises current evidence on spontaneous PTB (sPTB) risk and management, and examines why preterm birth persists as a clinical and public health challenge. We review the epidemiology, classification, and aetiology of sPTB; the role of the maternal microbiome; evidence-based preventive strategies; perinatal management; and neonatal care. We highlight the importance of a multicomponent and evidence-based approach, focusing on primary, secondary and tertiary prevention, to reduce the human and societal cost of preterm birth across Europe.</p>}},
author = {{Dehaene, Isabelle and Di Renzo, Gian Carlo and Daskalakis, George and Domellöf, Magnus and Malamitsi-Puchner, Ariadne and Modi, Neena and Koç, Esin and Shennan, Andrew H and Zeitlin, Jennifer and Andersson, Ola and Ehrhardt, Harald}},
issn = {{0301-2115}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{08}},
pages = {{1--12}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{European Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology}},
title = {{Good practice recommendations on spontaneous preterm birth}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2026.115389}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.ejogrb.2026.115389}},
volume = {{326}},
year = {{2026}},
}
