Bleeding per vaginam is associated with funisitis in women with preterm prelabour rupture of the fetal membranes

Objective: To evaluate the risk of funisitis among women with preterm prelabour rupture of the membranes (PPROM) and subsequent bleeding per vaginam.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: A University Hospital in the USA.

Population: A total of 157 women with PPROM, divided into those with bleeding per vaginam during the hospital admission (n = 46) and those without bleeding per vaginam (n = 111).

Methods: Pathologist blinded to bleeding status assessed placental pathology for funisitis.

Main outcome measures: Funisitis.

Results: Women with bleeding per vaginam were more likely to have funisitis (67.4% versus 36%, P < 0.001) compared with those without bleeding. Logistic regression demonstrated that bleeding per vaginam predicted funisitis after controlling for gestational age at admission, latency period and gestational age at delivery.

Conclusions: Among women with PPROM, those with bleeding per vaginam are more likely to have funisitis than those without bleeding per vaginam.