BACKGROUND-: Preterm delivery is the leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Accurate markers to determine whether a pregnant woman is at high risk of premature delivery would potentially allow improved surveillance and more timely intervention to improve the outcome22. OBJECTIVES-: To assess the usefulness of the beta subunit of hCG in cervicovaginal secretions as a biochemical predictor of spontaneous preterm delivery among pregnant women with and without preterm delivery risk. METHOD-: This was a case controlled study of pregnant women with and without risk factor for preterm delivery who presented for routine antenatal care at Ifako Ijaiye General Hospital. 50 parturients who met the inclusion criteria were recruited as subjects and 100 patients without preterm delivery risk, as controls. A structured interviewer administered questionnaire which had been pretested, consisting of both open and closed ended questions were used to collect data. Two cervicovaginal fluid samples at 26 weeks and 32 weeks were collected and quantitatively assayed using ELISA for presence of beta hCG. The patients were then followed