Prognostic possibilities of relaxin as a marker of preterm birth

Premature birth is one of the most important problems of modern obstetrics because it is a leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality in all countries. Annually, > 1 million premature newborns worldwide die from various types of complications, and most of the survivors become disabled. Moreover, according to WHO analysis, most of these children can be saved by developing measures for the early identification of preterm births, which will provide additional time for effective intervention. Currently, available diagnostic methods do not adequately assess the risks of premature delivery owing to the low predictive value of the methods. This makes it necessary to search for predictors of preterm labor that can improve the accuracy of diagnostic techniques. The desired predictors should have a pathogenetic basis, and most importantly, they must contribute to the early detection of life-threatening premature births. The hormone relaxin could be considered to be a promising marker of premature birth because its role in the pathogenesis of premature birth is unquestionable, and the evaluation of its levels is possible during the early stages of pregnancy.