"The results of our study clearly indicate that fFN testing influenced management in a significant number of patients. A large number of women were asymptomatic at testing. Fetal fibronectin testing could be offered more widely and has the potential to benefit patient management," said Prof. Andrew Shennan, study co-author and Ob/Gyn at St Thomas' Hospital in London. "Another important benefit of fFN testing is the ability to avoid overtreatment of women with negative test results. In addition to providing assurance to women and their doctors that preterm birth is not imminent, fFN testing -- if more widely used in the asymptomatic population -- could also translate into significant cost savings to the health care system."

Hologic's fetal fibronectin test is an FDA-approved, non-invasive test that assesses the risk of preterm birth in women from 22 to 35 weeks gestation with known risk factors or with signs and symptoms of preterm labor. The fFN test measures the presence of fetal fibronectin, the glue-like substance that holds the baby in the womb. A negative result means fetal fibronectin is minimally present and there is a less than one percent chance of delivering in the next two weeks. A positive result is a strong independent predictor of preterm birth before 32 weeks.

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