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The research could lead to screening and possible treatment for women at risk of early labour, says a US team.

 

The findings, published in the journal PLOS ONE, suggest certain bacteria may lead to thinning of the membranes² around the baby, causing them to tear.

 

Early rupture⁴ of membranes causes almost a third of all premature births.

 

The membranes that make up the sac that holds the baby usually break at the start of labour.

 

If a mother's waters break before the baby has reached full term, the medical term is preterm premature rupture of the membranes (PPROM). 

 

If this happens early, before contractions⁵ start, it can - but does not always - trigger early labour.

 

Researchers at Duke University School of Medicine have found high numbers of bacteria at the site where membranes rupture, which are linked with the thinning of membranes.

 

If the bacteria are the cause rather than the consequence of early membrane³ rupture, it may be possible to develop new treatments or screen for women at risk, they say.

 

Study author Amy Murtha, associate professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at Duke University School of Medicine, said: "For instance, if we think that certain bacteria are associated with premature rupturing⁶ of the membranes, we can screen for this bacteria early in pregnancy⁷. 

 

"We then might be able to treat affected⁸ women with antibiotics⁹ and reduce their risk for PPROM.

 

"Our research is several steps away from this, but it gives us opportunities to explore potential targeted therapeutic¹⁰ interventions¹¹, which we lack in obstetrics."

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