A Nested Case-Control Study of Allopregnanolone and Preterm Birth in the Healthy Start Cohort

Chronic stress is a risk factor for preterm birth, however objective measures of stress in pregnancy are limited. Maternal stress biomarkers may fill this gap. Steroid hormones and neurosteroids such as allopregnanolone (ALLO) play important roles in stress physiology and pregnancy maintenance and therefore may be promising for preterm birth prediction.