Rupture of membrane is said to be premature when it occurs at :

Ans. is c i.e. Prior to 1st stage of labour "Premature rupture of membranes (PROM) is defined as spontaneous rupture of membranes before the onset of labour. Preterm' premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) is defined as premature rupture of membranes before 37 completed weeks". Also Know The most probable cause of PROM is a reduction in membrane tensile strength caused by the effect of bacterial proteases or by repeafr,d stretching caused by uterine contractions. Dangers of PROM : - Preterm labour in mother, Respiratory distress syndrome in fetus - Chorioamnionitis - Abruptio placentae - Cord prolapse - Fetal distress (Associated with variable deceleration reflecting umbilical cord compression on CTG) - Fetal pulmonary hypoplasia - Facial and skeletal anomalies - Cerebral palsy. The predominant risk for patients with PROM between 32 and 36 weeks is chorioamnionitis. Therefore the dominant tendency in their management should be toward delivery The predominant risk for patients with PROM between 28 and 32 weeks is hyaline membrane disease. Administration of glucocoicoids and prolongation of the latent phase are beneficial for these patients if they do not have clinical or subclinical chorioamnionitis.