A premature birth increases the risk of recurrent preterm births. A patient with this obstetric history is to be offered hormonal supplementation via the use of weekly intramuscular hydroxyprogesterone from week 16-18 to 36 completed weeks of gestation (or premature ruptured membranes or unremitting preterm labor, whichever comes first). This approach has been proven to decrease significantly the risk of recurrent preterm birth in patients with a history of previous preterm birth of unknown etiology.
Preterm birth medical expert witness specialties include obstetrics, maternal-fetal medicine, (medical) genetics, pediatric pathology, maternal-fetal pathology, blood banking, neonatology, neonatal nursing, and emergency medicine.