Obstetricians often use changes in a woman\’s cervix to determine her risk of preterm birth. Researchers in Australia and Canada recently developed a blood test prediction method that can not only detect the risk of premature birth in advance as early as 18 weeks of pregnancy, but also with higher accuracy. Craig Pennell, associate professor of maternal and child health at the University of Western Australia, who participated in the study, said that the blood test mainly detects the expression of six genes in the blood of pregnant women that are related to changes in the number of white blood cells. cells, which are an important factor in determining the risk of preterm birth. index. By predicting changes in white blood cells through the expression of these six genes, doctors can predict the signs of premature birth weeks or even months before they appear.