This week Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Christopher Goodier about reducing risk of pre-term birth. Dr. Goodier is an Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a maternal fetal medicine specialist at MUSC Women’s Health.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. South Carolina has a high rate of preterm birth. In 2023, 11.6% of babies born in our state were preterm, which is one in every nine babies. Doctor Christopher Goodyear is here to talk about preterm birth. Doctor Goodyear is an Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and he's a maternal fetal medicine specialist at MUSC Women's Health. Doctor Goodyear what is considered preterm birth?
Dr. Goodier: Preterm birth is defined as a delivery occurring between 20 and 37 weeks of gestation. It can actually be spontaneous, meaning, you know, it's a result of preterm labor or cervical insufficiency, or in some instances, indicated due to a specific maternal complication or fetal complication. We subdivide them into early, those that are before 34 weeks, and those that occur late between 34 and 37 weeks. In fact, infants born prematurely have an increased risk of complications during childhood, especially during the first year of their life. However, those with the highest risk do occur at the earlier gestational age.
Conner: What can be done on an individual level than to reduce someone's risk of having a preterm birth.
Dr. Goodier: Their modifiable risk factors such as smoking that we can work on. Avoidance of substance abuse, waiting appropriate intervals in between pregnancy that can help things like good control of one's diabetes or high blood pressure or other medical conditions can also help. We also suggest considering preconception counseling to ensure that these conditions that are associated with preterm birth are well controlled and identified early. And, vitamin D supplementation has been shown to be important in reducing the overall risk of preterm birth, and that can be discussed from a supplementation standpoint with your provider. Certainly, routine and regular prenatal care, which is often impacted by access to care, is really, really important in trying to reduce your risk of preterm birth.
Conner: And Doctor Goodyear, when you mention preconception counseling, tell us a bit more about that. In practical terms, when might that be started, for someone who has some concerns.
Dr. Goodier: Ideally someone who has had a prior preterm birth or any of the modifiable conditions we discussed would seek care prior to getting pregnant in order to discuss with their obstetrician what best to do in order to help prevent a preterm birth.
Conner: What can be done in South Carolina to reduce our rates of preterm birth?
Dr. Goodier: South Carolina has embarked on something called the Birth Outcomes Initiative, which is sort of a wide range collaborative that involves hospitals and physicians and state level resources, and was initially put in place in 2011 with the goal to address issues related to both maternal and neonatal health. There have been some initiatives to reduce early elective deliveries and collaborating among state agencies and hospitals and the March of Dimes to improve quality of care for both moms and infants. Its focus most recently is to expand access to care utilizing technology such as telemedicine and supporting care in the initial conception period. In addition, trying to analyze and collect data, increase public awareness, and develop innovative programs to help reduce the risk of preterm birth for the citizens of South Carolina.
Conner: Doctor Goodier, thanks for this information about preterm birth.
Dr. Goodier: Thank you Bobbi.
Conner: From the Radio Studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
