The Fetal Fibronectin Test

Filed in archive Pregnancy on May 13, 2009

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The fetal fibronectin test is a a noninvasive test that can identify a woman's risk for premature birth: a negative test result reveals with 99 percent certainty that a woman will not deliver her baby within the next 14 days.

The fetal fibronectin test enables physicians to determine who is most appropriate for medical intervention while sparing many women from unnecessary treatment including powerful steroid drugs and hospitalization.

Yes. Premature birth can be detected. There is an FDA-approved, noninvasive test that provides physicians with valuable information about the likelihood that premature birth will occur. FullTerm™, The Fetal Fibronectin Test is the single strongest independent predictor of preterm birth at less than 32 weeks.

Collection can be performed in a doctor's office (similar to a Pap smear test) and the test measures the amount of fetal fibronectin-the "glue" that holds the baby in the womb-in the vagina. During weeks 22 to 35 of a pregnancy, fetal fibronectin should be almost undetectable.

As prematurity is the number one cause of death among newborns in the United States, this noninvasive test is the closest thing to a magic ball when it comes to predicting which pregnant women may have complications resulting in babies who might have problems once delivered.