Barcelona, 3 Apr (EFE).-A test done at the hospital Vall d ' Hebron has been shown that the placement of a ring of silicone in the womb, introduced by the vagina, reduce by 75 percent preterm birth in pregnancies of risk.

The study that publishes the British journal “The Lancet”, today has proved the effectiveness of this silicone ring, also known as a pessary, a sample of 15,000 women who had in common a short cervix (25 mm length), which is a risk factor for preterm birth.

Used pessary costs 38 euros, introduces the vagina without surgery and does not generate discomfort or side effects.

“It is an extremely simple and cheap system”, highlighted today EfE the head of the unit of medical Maternofetal of the service of obstetrics of the Vall d ' Hebron and coordinator of the study, Elena races.

Preterm birth (before 34 weeks of gestation), that occurs in an 8 per cent of the cases in Spain, is the leading cause of severe illness and death in the newborn.

To reduce this rate of prematurity enough with that public health extended to the vaginal area the ultrasound of the 20 weeks of gestation, by system, practiced all pregnant.

The women who have short cervix unknown it because this malformation them generates no discomfort and only detected by ultrasound.

“the healthcare system has to make this small effort, with which many preterm births that ultimately generate much more spending will be avoided”, highlighted races.

Pessary is inserted folded by the vagina and, once deployed in the array acts as a plug which prevents that the fetus is oriented towards the vagina and forces him to return to the normal position.

A week 37 of pregnancy, ring is removed from the vagina so that women can give birth normally.

In the study, which has been funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, have collaborated with the contribution of about 400 patients of other five Spanish centers: El Hospital de Fuenlabrada (Madrid), the mother and child of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Son Llàtzer in Palma de Mallorca, that of Sant Joan de Reus (Tarragona) and the Institut Dexeus of Barcelona.

Pessaries manufacture disabled the German NGO Clara-Angela – Foundation of the Dr. Birgit Arabin, who, in 2003, made the first studies about the benefits of these rings, though it has not been until now that you have tested in a randomized study large scale.