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Mother’s Family History Could Lead to Preterm Birth

Mother’s Family History Could Lead to Preterm Birth

April 27, 2017

Medical Research, Press Releases

If a pregnant mother has a family history of premature birth, she is at risk for a preterm birth of her baby, according to a new study by researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and Soroka University Medical Center.

Prof. Eyal Sheiner, M.D,, Ph.D.

Prof. Eyal Sheiner, M.D,, Ph.D.

Preterm birth occurs when a baby is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy and is the leading cause of infant hospitalization, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2015, preterm birth affected one of every 10 infants born in the United States.

The study, published in the American Journal of Perinatology, followed 2,300 mothers and daughters over 22 years (1991 to 2013), and found that the risk of preterm delivery was significantly higher among the 34 percent of women whose mothers had given birth early for any of her pregnancies.

The risk remained significant even after adjusting for the race and age of the woman giving birth. Additionally, the researchers also found that even if a mother’s aunt or sister had premature births, her risk of delivering prematurely was also 30 percent higher than normal.

“The results of the study show that the medical history of a pregnant woman’s mother and aunts should also be taken into account when considering the risk of pregnancy complications such as premature birth,” says Prof. Eyal Sheiner, M.D., Ph.D., vice dean of the BGU Faculty of Health Sciences (FOHS), member of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and a physician at Soroka. “Women who are at risk can benefit from close monitoring and early detection of genetic markers.”

The research team also included Dr. Yoni Sherf of Soroka; FOHS Prof. Natalia Bilenko, Prof. Ilana Shoham-Vardi and Ruslan Sergienko of the BGU Department of Public Health; and Jaime Klein, a student in BGU’s Medical School for International Health.

“Exposure to events, situations and/or substances in one generation can affect the growth and development of the next generation,” the researchers note.

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By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.

About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.

We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.

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20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.

 

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