Preterm birth remains the leading challenge in perinatal mortality and morbidity in the developing world. Existing strategies to reduce preterm birth target at risk women and are not suitable as a population strategy because of their expense. However, more than 50% of preterm births are to women with no pre-existing risk factors. Therefore, population based strategies are desirable. We present the evidence for fish oil supplements as a population based strategy to reduce early preterm birth. Fish oils act as competitive antagonists of series two prostaglandins and can target premature cervical ripening as a cause of early preterm birth. These oils are safe and well tolerated by pregnant women. Analyses from randomised trials show that fish oils may be promising as a population based strategy for the prevention of early preterm birth. Fish Oils as a Population Based Strategy to Reduce Early Preterm Birth, Julie A. Quinlivan and Sahar Pakmehr.
Last date updated on September, 2024