DMC Top Doc Sonia Hassan, M.D. Talks about Preterm Birth Breakthrough

FOX 2 and the Detroit Medical Center present Detroit's Top Docs.

"There are over half a million preterm births in the U.S. per year and many of them have tragic results," said Sonia Hassan, M.D.

For expecting parents, the thoughts and risks of delivering their baby early often weighs heavy on their minds.

Meet Dr. Sonia Hassan, a leading OBGYN with the DMC and one of metro Detroit's Top Docs.

"So, preterm birth is a big problem in this country, really, and worldwide. It is defined as delivery at less than 37 weeks in gestation. It is one of the leading causes of newborn complications and newborn death, and that again applies to the U.S. and around the world. It occurs in the U.S about one in eight babies that are born. That equates to about a baby a minute that is born premature. The (sorts) of problems that come with babies with premature deliveries include respiratory problems. They include low birth weight, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, learning disabilities, and all of those things are associated with early delivery," she explained.

Hoping to find answers and to increase the odds of full-term deliveries, Dr. Hassan, along with a team of doctors and researchers, conducted an extensive clinical trial.

"The Perinatology Research Branch under Dr. Roberto Romero's leadership, our team has looked into both basic and clinical research in the study of the etiology or the causes of preterm birth and some of the risk factors in women in Detroit and aboard. We've used those studies to try to determine what treatments that we can use for that preterm birth, as is evidenced by this last trial that we've done," she said.

What they discovered proved to be amazing.

"So, the big news, exciting news, is that we have found that with the use of ultrasound, we can identify women who have a short cervix who are at a high risk of preterm birth. We can administer a medication, which is progesterone, and it's a natural form of progesterone, and with that we would reduce the rate of preterm birth by at least 45-percent," said Hassan. "Even more exciting, we were able to show that the risk of respiratory problems to the babies was also decreased in women who took progesterone."

For expecting parents, this medical breakthrough is a lifesaver.

"With the use of these results, we will, I believe, change the practice of obstetrics. It will mean that all women who are pregnant may start to undergo ultrasound examinations in the middle of pregnancy to see what their cervical length is, and then if it is short, they are able to receive a drug, which is progesterone, which is safe and easy tolerated by these women that can reduce their risk of having a baby that's premature," Hassan said.

"We can save a lot of lives and we can save a lot of heartache."

For more information about Dr. Hassan and other metro Detroit Top Docs, logon to DMC.org.