Background: To evaluate the association between gestational age at presentation and interval to delivery in women with early spontaneous preterm delivery (PTD).
Methods: A retrospective cohort study of women who presented with threatened preterm labor (tPTL) and intact membranes and had a spontaneous PTD <34 weeks in a university-affiliated hospital (2009-2015). The interval from presentation to delivery was compared between different gestational age subgroups.
Results: Of 67 550 deliveries during the study period, 252 met inclusion criteria. This cohort was divided to three gestational age subgroups at presentation: 24-286/7 weeks (n = 83), 29-316/7 weeks (n = 61) and 32-336/7 weeks (n = 108). Median time from presentation to delivery was 24.5 h. An inverse relation was observed between gestational age at presentation and admission-delivery interval (group A: 74.7 h, group B: 21.0 h, group C: 14.0 h, p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Gestational age at presentation is inversely related to admission-delivery interval in women with tPTL and intact membranes.
Keywords: Preterm delivery; gestational age; interval to delivery; threatened preterm labor.