1 Introduction The highly choreographed homeostatic state of endocrine, paracrine, and immune mediators at the fetal-maternal interface maintains pregnancy and supports the growth and development of the fetus (1). The disruption of this delicate balance in any of these systems can lead to adverse pregnancy events such as preterm birth (PTB; <37 weeks of gestation), effecting 12% of all pregnant subjects worldwide (2). PTB is a major clinical dilemma, as the contributing factors are unknown (3).
