Genetic factors in preterm delivery.

Tens of thousands of children deliver before they are full term each year. Although many social, environmental, and medical risk factors have been suggested, the etiology of a large percentage of preterm labor cases is still unknown. It has been noted for many years that preterm delivery is a condition that runs in families. Evidence concerning its aggregation among families, the recurrent nature of preterm labor, and its differing prevalence between races has led to the suggestion of a genetic cause for preterm delivery. There have been few formal studies to investigate this hypothesis. We suggest that modern molecular biology approaches can reveal the part that genes play in preterm delivery.