Association of maternal IgM concentrations above the median at 15-19 weeks of gestation and early preterm delivery.

IgM concentrations greater than the median in maternal serum collected at 15-19 weeks of pregnancy were strongly associated (odds ratio 15.6) with delivery before 29 weeks. Our results suggest that the postulated inflammatory component in the aetiology of very preterm delivery may elicit a measurable maternal humoral response as early as mid-trimester. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]