Based in Baltimore, Maryland, four engineers and an obstetrician decided to address the need for a better labor monitoring device – a device that could detect the onset of preterm birth.

The devastating consequences of preterm birth have propelled the international obstetric community into increasing antenatal surveillance of high-risk patients, but all of the current methods of preterm labor detection are insufficient or unreliable at early gestational ages.

The failings of current methods have led to an annual preterm birth rate of over 12% in the United States.  Therefore, there is a need for a method of accurately detecting preterm labor before the point where labor is no longer reversible to balance between avoiding unnecessary intervention and making timely diagnosis and treatment.

• “Preterm Labor and Birth: A  Serious Pregnancy Complication – March of Dimes”   http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/188_1080.asp
• “Preterm Labor: Take prevention seriously – Mayo Clinic” http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/preterm-labor/PR00118  
• Premature Labor – Sutter Health http://babies.sutterhealth.org/during/preg_prematurelabor.html