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Cervical sutures influence the odds for premature birth?
Doctors are using a procedure, named cervical stitch, to women who are considered at high risk of premature birth or even miscarriage. In order to delay labor, they are placing a stitch into the cervix and it should stay closed. A new report shows that cervical sutures can be the enemy of women as it may influence odds for preterm birth.
It seems that the risks are higher depending on the suture they are using. The most common one is a braided thread (more than 80 percent of the doctors are using it). It seems that the odds of premature births tripled compared to those who used a single-strand suture. Dr. Phillip Bennet, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Imperial College in London, said that they did not have tools for determining who would benefit from the operation. The main problem is that women who do not really need cervical sutures are getting them, which can cause harm to their bodies.
According to the researchers, women who had used the braided tape material, had poorer outcomes than those who had used the nylon. An issue may appear when a harmful bacteria grows in the vagina that makes a woman’s cervix inflammate and also changes it. When they used the nylon one, the situation was different and the doctors think the tape stitch is helping bacteria to develop and it should not be used anymore.
The study was made using a date of 700 women. According to the facts, 15 percent of those who got the braided stitch had a stillbirth, while only 7 percent of those who used the nylon suture had this problem. Same thing happened for premature birth, where more than 27 women who received the braided tape gave birth prematurely. The researchers want now to make the same study in the United Kingdom and the results are expected in a couple of years. We will see if these facts apply to other countries too.
The study is not very clear as they could not control all the factors involved in the process, such as surgical technique. Before recommending the advantage of nylon over braided suture material, there should be a more controlled trial. That is the only way we could be sure of the safety of using cervical sutures. What do you think? Are they good or bad for the future mother? Have you used one of these procedures by now?Im
Image source: Public domain pictures
