In China，preterm birth （PTB） is defined as delivery with gestational age reaching 28 weeks but less than 37 weeks. Currently，several guidelines have recommended that a history of miscarriage or preterm birth and the cervical length（CL）of a second trimester ≤25 mm be used to predict preterm birth. In recent years，the biochemical molecular markers such as fetal fibronectin，phosphorylated insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1，placental alpha micro-globulin 1，inflammatory cytokines，cervical angle and cervical hardness used to predict preterm birth have gained attention of the researchers.This article will review the existing methods of preterm prediction and its application value，so as to provide reference for clinical practice.