Evaluation of the weekly cervical examination in a preterm birth prevention program.

The efficacy of regular cervical examinations in detecting preterm labor, as well as possible risks, was studied for 133 preterm labor patients who had received regular cervical examinations as part of a preterm birth prevention program. When compared to all other patients experiencing preterm labor during the study period, the rates of preterm premature rupture of the membranes, chorioamnionitis, and postpartum endomyometritis were not increased. For 95 patients with preterm labor within 7 days of a routine cervical examination, labor onset was not temporally associated with the preceding examination. Preterm labor was diagnosed in 18 asymptomatic patients (18.2%) when the weekly examination revealed cervical change. Routine cervical exams, therefore, did not increase morbidity, and for some patients identified preterm labor before symptoms appeared.