Doctors lose ‘main tool’ for determining preterm labour
Rural doctors say the fetal fibronectin test helps them decide whether preterm labour is real.
Doctors say they have lost their main tool for determining preterm labour after manufacturers of the rapid fetal fibronectin test announced plans to withdraw it from sale.
US manufacturer Hologic announced in July it would stop manufacturing the test, which will be discontinued globally in September.
While there are alternatives, Australian doctors say the rapid fetal fibronectin test (fFN) test is the most reliable option.
In the test, a vaginal swab is used to detect traces of the protein fibronectin, which leaks from the membrane during labour.
