Premature birth service
Contact
- Maternity helpline
- 020 3312 6135
Visitor Information
Visiting restrictions are in place. Please call the ward to find out more. Find your hospital ward contact information:
About
Our prematurity service is provided at both Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea and St Mary's hospitals. The Trust’s prematurity clinics are amongst the longest established prematurity services in the UK. The clinics are staffed by doctors and midwives with a special interest in preventing preterm delivery. They are overseen by Professor Phillip Bennett at Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea Hospital and Mr Tiong Teoh at St Mary’s Hospital, both of whom have international reputations for the prediction and prevention of preterm birth.
Conditions and treatments
Pregnant women who have previously experienced a premature birth (before 37 weeks) or a late miscarriage (after 14 weeks) are referred to the clinic after their dating scan. Women who have had some treatment to their cervix after an abnormal smear test or who have been told they have an abnormally shaped womb are also referred. We risk stratify patients based on their medical history and perform cervical length surveillance through ultrasound scans. Interventions include lifestyle modification, progesterone and cervical stitches.
Additional information
Clinical trials and research
Women are invited to participate in continuing research into the causes and mechanisms of preterm labour, and the clinics are closely affiliated with the parturition research group, led by Professor Bennett at Imperial College. We are currently recruiting women to a study in the prediction of early preterm labour (PEPTL) and VMe2. PEPTL is focused upon finding a marker in blood or urine which might show if women are at increased risk of early delivery. VMet2 investigates the bacterial flora present in the vagina and metabolites in the urine, vagina and blood for the prediction and prevention of preterm birth.
Further online resources
Latest news See all news
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Read the full storyResearch into leading cause of stillbirth awarded £2.4 million funding
Researchers and clinicians at the Trust have been awarded over £2.4 million to investigate the best technique to manage poor growth in babies during the later stages of pregnancy. The study will be led by the head of fetal medicine at Imperial…
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Read the full storyImproved quality ratings for critical care and children and young people services plus London’s first ‘outstanding’ rating for maternity care
National inspectors have improved their quality ratings for a range of Trust services including awarding the first ‘outstanding’ rating for a maternity unit in London.
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Read the full storyNew device brings breathing support to maternity patients
Maternity ward patients at Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea Hospital can breathe easy thanks to a brand-new device providing non-invasive respiratory support to patients in the High Dependency Unit.
