Researchers have uncovered a surprising possible trigger for some preterm births: Calcium buildup in the womb.

Ohio researchers studying more than 100 pregnant women found that when a mom-to-be’s water breaks too early, the culprit seems to be abnormal calcium deposits that make the normally elastic amniotic sac prone to rupture.

Calcification plays a role in a number of disorders.

It can stiffen older people’s arteries or cause kidney stones. More research is needed to prove if it really plays a role in this kind of preterm birth and if so, what to do about it. One question is how to identify who’s at risk.

But the finding raises the possibility of investigating possible interventions.

The research is reported Wednesday in Science Translational Medicine.

Lauran Neergaard, The Associated Press

Filed under: health, pregnancy, Study