Cervical length in adolescents versus adults

Abstract

Purpose: Two of the known risk factors for spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) are short cervical length (CL) ≤ 25 mm and adolescence (≤19 years). Our objective was to evaluate whether adolescent women have a higher incidence of short CL compared to their 20–24 year old counterparts.Materials and methods: Retrospective cohort of nulliparous singleton gestations undergoing universal second trimester transvaginal ultrasound (TVU) CL screening between January 2012 and June 2013. Adolescent women ≤19 years of age were compared to women 20–24 years of age. Primary outcomes were mean CL and incidence of CL ≤25 mm. Secondary outcomes were incidence of PTB <37 weeks, delivery mode, birth weight, and NICU admission.Results: One hundred and five adolescents and 236 women 20–24 years underwent TVU CL screening. There was no difference in mean CL (40.6 mm vs. 40.6 mm, p = 0.51) or incidence of CL ≤25 mm (1.0% vs. 1.7%; OR 0.56 [0.06–5.1]). After controlling for maternal differences, there still was no significant correlation between maternal age and CL. There was no significant difference in PTB, birth weight, or NICU admission between the groups. CL measurements did not significantly differ across all maternal ages (14–42 years).Conclusions: There is no difference in mean CL or incidence of CL ≤25 mm among adolescents compared to women 20–24 years.