Preeclampsia (PE) is a major obstetrical syndrome and is classified as early if it occurs prior to 34 weeks of gestation. Current prediction models for PE combine maternal risk factors, uterine artery Doppler velocimetry, and maternal blood proteins. Although the detection rate of such models to identify patients at risk for early/preterm PE is sufficient to allow preventive strategies, the contribution of biochemical markers in these models is limited.
Hypoxia secondary to placental dysfunction is believed to play an important role in most fetal deaths; however, evidence is indirect. Understanding the causes of hypoxia, and the intermediary steps between hypoxia and fetal death may allow identification of biomarkers that could be used to predict and prevent fetal death in women at risk for this complication.
Recent molecular studies concluded that the human endometrium has a resident microbiota dominated by Lactobacillus spp., similar to the vagina microbiota. However, these findings were primarily derived from endometrial samples obtained through a transcervical catheter and thus prone to contamination from the vaginal microbiota. Therefore, the existence of a resident endometrial microbiota and its structure, if indeed present, remains unknown.
Prematurity is the leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. In most cases, preterm birth is preceded by spontaneous preterm labor (PTL), a syndrome that is associated with intra-amniotic inflammation, the most studied etiology. However, the remaining etiologies of PTL are poorly understood; therefore, most preterm birth are categorized as idiopathic. Whether fetal T cell activation occurs during idiopathic PTL is unknown.