Premature birth is responsible for 70% of neonatal deaths and about 25-50% of long-term neurological complications in the newborn, which can lead to mental retardation, cerebral palsy and other neurological diseases.

Femoflor®16 now allows determining the risk of premature birth during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Femoflor®16 is a method for complex analysis and evaluation of the microbiome in female genitourinary system. In addition to a detailed quantitative analysis of the microbiome, another important condition related to the risk of preterm birth can now be assessed with Femoflor®16.

In the majority of cases of preterm birth, there are no early indications in the mother or fetus. Prevention and early diagnosis of complications during pregnancy are extremely important to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality.

The latest clinical studies in this field draw attention to the scientifically proven link between preterm birth and infections in the urogenital tract. Disturbances in the balance of the microflora in the female reproductive tract can lead to an increase in the contractile activity of the myometrium, as well as cause significant changes in the structure of the cervix and amniotic membrane.

DNA-Technology together with Prof. Ekaterina Voroshilina - Doctor of Medical Sciences and Professor of Microbiology, Virology and Immunology at the Ural Medical University, developed and validated a new method for calculating the risk of premature birth, called PRIMA INDEX.

PRIMA Index (Index Preterm Birth Microbiological Analysis) is a prognostic mathematical method that calculates the risk of preterm birth based on the state of the microbiome in the female reproductive system. PRIMA index is calculated based on 9 parameters from Femoflor®16 test:

• Total Bacterial Mass (TBM)
• Lactobacillus spp.
• Staphylococcus spp.
• Sneathia spp. + Leptotrichia spp. + Fusobacterium spp
• Gardnerella vaginalis + Prevotella bivia + Porphyromonas spp
• Eubacterium spp. Lachnobacterium spp. + Clostridium spp
• Mobiluncus spp. + Corynebacterium spp.
• Ureaplasma spp.

PRIMA index allows the identification of women with high-risk pregnancies, the implementation of timely treatment and careful monitoring of pregnancy in this group of women.

An assessment of the risk of premature birth can be made based on the calculated value for PRIMA index:

• For values of PRIMA > 0 – the risk of pre-term birth is low
• For values of PRIMA < 0 – the risk of pre-term birth is high

If you are interested in receiving more information or in implementing PRIMA index into your diagnostic practice, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/wUawZRXnNn3rrKch8