Data for Volatile organic compound analysis, a new tool in the quest for preterm birth prediction – an observational cohort study

Our prospective observational cohort study demonstrates that VOC analysis of vaginal swabs, taken in the midtrimester, is a fair test (AUC 0.79) for preterm prediction, with a sensitivity of 0.66 (95%CI 0.56–0.75) and specificity 0.89 (95%CI 0.82–0.94). Using vaginal swabs taken closest to delivery, VOC analysis is a good test (AUC 0.84) for the prediction of preterm birth with a sensitivity of 0.73 (95%CI 0.64–0.81) and specificity of 0.90 (95%CI 0.82–0.95).

Consequently, VOC analysis of vaginal swabs has potential to be used as a predictive tool. With further work it could be considered as an additional component in models for predicting preterm birth.<br><br>Data record consists of a zip archive containing raw data in .mea format.