Evidence mapPaperPMID 40613615Full record

ArticleInternational journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics2026

Preconceptual care reduces risk of spontaneous preterm birth for select high-risk populations: A prospective study.

Gillian A Corbett, Larissa Luethe, Aoife McEvoy, Maggie O'Brien, Brian McDonnell, Silvia Carlotta Rosalia, Fionnuala M McAuliffe, Siobhan Corcoran

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Preconceptual care reduces risk of spontaneous preterm birth for select high-risk populations: A prospective study.International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Gillian A CorbettNational Maternity Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0378-8297
Larissa LuethePreterm Birth Service, National Maternity Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Aoife McEvoyNational Maternity Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Maggie O'BrienNational Maternity Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Brian McDonnellNational Maternity Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Silvia Carlotta RosaliaPreterm Birth Service, National Maternity Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Fionnuala M McAuliffeNational Maternity Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Siobhan CorcoranPreterm Birth Service, National Maternity Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.

Funding

Science Foundation Ireland 22-FFA-10302The National Maternity Hospital Foundation
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivePrevention of preterm birth (PTB) is an urgent unmet clinical need. Preconceptual counseling for women at high-risk of PTB offers a unique opportunity to mitigate risk of preterm birth for subsequent pregnancy. The present study aimed to examine the impact of preconceptual counseling on rates of PTB in a high-risk population.

methodsThis was a prospective study at a tertiary referral PTB Clinic of all preconceptual consultations over a 5-year period (2018-2023, n = 97). Consultation data were collected. Subsequent pregnancy outcomes for women who attended for preconceptual counseling were compared to a women attending the PTB Clinic who did not attend for preconception counseling, with sensitivity analysis based on PTB risk factor.

resultsA total of 97 women attended for preconception care with 47 subsequent pregnancies, of which 62/97 (63.9%) had a prior PTB or mid trimester loss (MTL). A total of 35/97 (36.0%) had cervical surgery. After consultation, 34/97 (35.0%) patients chose abdominal cerclage, 15/97 (15.5%) chose elective cervical cerclage in pregnancy and 48/97 (49.5%) opted for reassessment in early pregnancy. Pregnancy outcomes were recorded for 165 women attending the PTB Clinic; this included 47 women who had received preconceptual counseling and 118 who did not receive preconceptual counseling. Women with preconceptual care were significantly more likely to have an abdominal cerclage (17/47, 36.2% vs. 4/118, 3.4%, P < 0.001). There was no difference in preterm birth <37 or <34 weeks or mid-trimester loss with preconceptual counseling for any risk factor criteria. However, for high-risk patients (history of extreme PTB [<28 week], mid-trimester loss [14-23 weeks] or recurrent sPTB) preconceptual counseling was associated with a significant reduction in early PTB <32 weeks (0/19, 0.0% vs. 6/32, 18.8%, P = 0.044), associated with significantly higher rate of abdominal cerclage (5/19, 26.3% vs. 0/0, 0.0%, P = 0.003).

conclusionPreconceptual counseling is an effective intervention to reduce risk of early preterm birth for select high-risk populations.

Indexed as

CounselingPreconception CarePremature BirthAdultCerclage, CervicalFemaleHumansPregnancyPregnancy OutcomeProspective StudiesRisk FactorsYoung Adultabdominal cerclagecervical cerclagepreconceptionpreterm birthpreterm birth preventionvaginal progesterone

Identifiers

PMID40613615
PMCPMC12724032

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.