The role of routine cervical length screening in selected high- and low-risk women for preterm birth prevention

Preterm birth remains a major cause of neonatal death and short and long-term disability in the US and across the world. The majority of preterm births are spontaneous and cervical length screening is one tool that can be utilized to identify women at increased risk who may be candidates for preventive interventions. The purpose of this document is to review the indications and rationale for CL screening to prevent preterm birth in various clinical scenarios. The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine recommends (1) routine transvaginal cervical length screening for women with singleton pregnancy and history of prior spontaneous preterm birth (grade 1A); (2) routine transvaginal cervical length screening not be performed for women with cervical cerclage, multiple gestation, preterm premature rupture of membranes, or placenta previa (grade 2B); (3) practitioners who decide to implement universal cervical length screening follow strict guidelines (grade 2B); (4) sonographers and/or practitioners receive specific training in the acquisition and interpretation of cervical imaging during pregnancy (grade 2B)

Routine cervical length screening to prevent PTB: Answers to frequently asked questions about when to perform CL measurement

Worldwide, 15 million babies are born too soon every year, causing 1.1 million deaths, as well as short and long-term disability in countless survivors. In high-income countries, preterm birth (PTB) is the leading cause of death in children <5 years, and globally it is second only to pneumonia. Few prognostic tests are available to predict which pregnancies will deliver preterm. The majority (2/3) of PTBs are spontaneous, and recurrence risks are high; a history of a prior spontaneous PTB is historically the strongest risk factor for spontaneous PTB