Objective: A large proportion of neonatal deaths not related to congenital anomalies are attributed to preterm births. The aim of this study was to compare the coagulation parameters in pregnant women with premature uterine contractions (PUC) who have preterm births with those who have term births and to determine the role of these coagulation parameters in predicting preterm delivery.
Methods: Seventy-two pregnant women with PUC who applied to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Okmeydanı Training and Research Hospital, University of Health Sciences, were included in the study. The coagulation parameters of 36 women who had preterm births were compared with those of 36 women who had term births. In analysing the findings of the study, statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 22 (IBM SPSS, Turkey). The data were analyzed using Shapiro-Wilks, one-way, ANOVA, Tamhane’s T2 test, and Student’s t-test etc.
Results: The activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) was significantly shorter in the preterm birth group (25.64±3.24 seconds) compared to the term birth group (26.153±2.49 seconds). International normalized ratio (INR) and prothrombin time (PT) levels were similar in both groups and subgroups. Fibrinogen levels were lower in the preterm birth group (397.56±54.67 mg/dL) compared to those who delivered at term (409.78±65.06 mg/dL). Fibrinogen levels were significantly lower in the preterm labor subgroup (388±50.72 mg/dL) compared to the preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) subgroup (431±58.09 mg/dL).
Conclusion: In this study, it was observed that the aPTT values in the preterm birth group were significantly shorter compared to the term birth group. Fibrinogen levels were found to be lower in the preterm birth group compared to those who delivered at term. Within the preterm labour subgroup, fibrinogen levels were significantly lower than those in the PPROM subgroup. INR and PT levels were similar across both groups and subgroups. The aPTT values were also similar between the preterm labour and PPROM subgroups.