THE RELATION BETWEEN LACTATE LEVEL IN VAGINAL FLUID AND LATENCY PERIOD OF LABOUR IN PRETERM PRELABOUR RUPTURE OF MEMBRANES

Background: Preterm prelabour rupture of membranes occurs in 2-4% of pregnancies, characterized by the spontaneous rupture of membranes before 37 weeks. The literature discusses the relationship between vaginal fluid lactate levels and the latent phase of labor in these cases. Aim: The relation between lactate level in vaginal fluid and latency period of labour in preterm prelabour rupture of membranes. Patients and Methods: This is a prospective observational case series study included 100 pregnant patients with singleton viable fetus with gestational age ranged from 28-36 weeks of gestation included in the study which conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Al-Batool Teaching Hospital during a period from 10th of February to 1st of June 2024. Results: Patients with a latency period within 48 hours exhibited significantly higher vaginal lactate levels (7.21 ± 2.59 mmol/L) compared to those with a latency period after 48 hours (4.57 ± 0.35 mmol/L), with a P-value of 0.001. A strong negative correlation exists between vaginal fluid lactate level and latency period (R = -0.614, P = 0.022), most pronounced in the very preterm group (R = -0.713, P = 0.001), followed by the moderate preterm group (R = -0.621, P = 0.022), and least in the late preterm group (R = -0.512, P = 0.041). Conclusions: Negative correlation between lactate level in vaginal fluid and the latency period, indicating that higher lactate levels were associated with a shorter latency period.