Objective:

We aimed to investigate the relationship between the level of maternal serum leptin and the occurrence of moderate preterm labor.

Material and Methods:

This was a case control study conducted on pregnant women referred to Al- Zahra Hospital in Rasht, north of Iran in 2013. Cases included 30 moderate preterm delivering women and 30 control pregnant women with the same gestational age. The maternal serum leptin was measured for each mother at the time of entering the study.

Results:

The mean serum leptin in the control group (56.66±34.18) was significantly higher than the preterm (33.65±16.70) group. There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of body mass index and age. Logistic regression revealed that age and body mass index did not have a significant relationship to moderate preterm birth. However, an increased leptin level as low as 1 microgram per liter was associated with the risk of moderate preterm birth incidence (OR: 0.973, CI: 0.948–0.997).

Conclusion:

Higher levels of leptin in pregnant women are associated with a decreased risk of moderate preterm birth. Further investigations are recommended with a larger sample size.

Keywords: Preterm birth, leptin, delivery, pregnancy