New research suggests that women who undergo a common cervical treatment are at an increased risk of premature delivery later in life.
The research published this week says women who have a loop excision, to remove pre-cancerous cells from the cervix have a higher risk of delivering an early baby.The researchers from Melbourne University and Royal Women's Hospital in Australia said that this is the first time such a link has been made.
They studied more than 5000 women who had undergone treatment for pre-cancerous cells between 1982 and 2000. Changes to the cervix which can indicate potential cancerous cells are usually picked up from a cervical smear.
A loop excision, where tissue is removed with an electrical current passed through a loop of wire, is the most common treatment following abnormal cell detection. The researchers also looked at other treatments used including diathermy, where an electrical current is used directly on the the cervix, cone biopsy, where a cone shaped excision is taken from the cervix, and laser ablation, where the tissue is destroyed by laser beam.
All treatments other than laser ablation were found to be associated with increased risk although they also found that both treated and untreated women who had precancerous cells were at increased risk of premature birth, suggesting treatment was not the only risk factor.
They said, "Women presenting with precancerous changes in the cervix are at an increased risk for preterm birth, a risk that appears to be increased by treatments that remove or destroy substantial amounts of cervical tissue.
"To aid informed choice, women should be provided with information about the advantages and disadvantages of different forms of treatment and the importance of modifiable risk factors for subsequent successful pregnancy outcome."
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