Does screening reduce preterm births

Preterm birth is one of the most important problems in modern obstetrics. As the connection between ascending infection and preterm birth is undisputed, much research has focused on finding infectious risk factors suitable for screening. In the study by Kiss et al, asymptomatic pregnant women were screened and randomised to treatment during the second trimester for bacterial vaginosis, Candida , and trichomoniasis.1 Bacterial vaginosis has proved to be associated with an increased risk of preterm birth. Unfortunately, in several trials, intervention with antenatal antibiotic treatment—vaginal or systemic—has mostly failed to reduce the rate of preterm births, in spite of successful eradication of bacterial …