Information for women and families
PPROM under 23 weeks of pregnancy - when your waters break very early.
What is PPROM?
PPROM is the medical word for Preterm Prelabour Rupture of Membranes. This is when your waters break early in pregnancy (before 24 weeks).
To find out more about PPROM, the information leaflet linked below has been developed by patients and doctors to give more details about what PPROM means, what might happen after PPROM, and care a woman might be offered. It has been developed alongside the North West of England PPROM guidelines for healthcare professionals.
PPROM Information Leaflet for mothers and families
About our study
A UK wide study of 364 women who experienced early PPROM (Preterm Prelabour Rupture of Membranes) from 16 weeks and 0 days to 22 weeks and 6 days of pregnancy. Conducted September 2019 to February 2021. Below is a breakdown of the information produced as a result of the study.
How common is it?
Early PPROM happens to at least 2 women every 3 days in the UK
What happened to the babies?
Amongst women who continued their pregnancy 44% had a baby that was born alive and 18% had a baby that survived to hospital discharge without severe morbidity.
What happened to the Mothers?
The research showed 14% of mothers developed sepsis and 2 women (out of 364) died, both from sepsis.
How can this research help?
1. By alerting healthcare professionals to the serious nature of sepsis with early PPROM and the need for urgent treatment.
2. By alerting pregnant women to seek medical help promptly if they are unwell, especially if they have concerns about infection.
Symptoms of infection:
- Feeling hot and shivery
- Unusual vaginal discharge
- A high temperature
- Abdominal (tummy) pain.
You can find out more about the symptoms of infection on the Sepsis Trust website.
Health outcomes breakdown by weeks of pregnancy at PPROM
Below you can access infographics detailing the health outcomes for all pregnancies and babies included in the study, by week when PPROM occurred:
Weeks of pregnancy at PPROM 16 - 17 weeks
Weeks of pregnancy at PPROM 18 - 19 weeks
Weeks of pregnancy at PPROM 20 - 21 weeks
Weeks of pregnancy at PPROM 22nd week
PPROM Infographic for all women and children in study
Important considerations
In this study, when we say the baby has "severe illness" it means the baby needed oxygen after birth when the mother would have been in 36 weeks of pregnancy and/or the baby had a significant bleed on the brain, which in some babies leads to cerebral palsy.
Long-term disability is hard to predict from this data.
There are currently no national guidelines about how women with PPROM between 16 and 23 weeks of pregnancy should be cared for and outcomes may be different if guidelines were introduced.