614: Evidence in support that spontaneous preterm labor is adaptive in nature: Neonatal RDS is more common in “indicated” than in “spontaneous” preterm birth

Abstract

The onset of premature labor has been proposed to have survival value and to be adaptive. This hypothesis implies that induced preterm birth may be associated with higher rates of complications than spontaneous preterm birth. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a difference in the frequency of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), the most common neonatal complication, as a function of the etiology of preterm birth (e.g. preterm labor [PTL], preterm PROM, or pregnancies which ended because of maternal-fetal indications).