This is a specialist obstetric clinic for managing and providing extra support for women who are at a higher risk of having a baby born too early.
The clinic is led by a Consultant Obstetrician and supported by midwives with a specialist interest in preterm birth.
The clinic aims to provide personalised care, with most women reassured before they are discharged back to routine antenatal care. In a small proportion of women, treatments to reduce the risk of preterm birth may be recommended.
You may be referred to this clinic because you have risk factors for preterm birth.
These may include one or more of the following:
- Previous second trimester miscarriage
- Previous spontaneous preterm delivery
- Previous premature rupture of membranes
- Previous treatment to the cervix such as a cone biopsy, LLETZ
- Cervical stitch in previous pregnancy
- A short cervix in this pregnancy
- An unusually shaped uterus (womb)
If you have one or more of these risk factors, it does not necessarily mean you will have a premature birth or late miscarriage.