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A cheap medical device can dramatically reduce the number of premature births in some at-risk women, according to a team of doctors in Spain. Being born before 34 weeks of pregnancy is linked to a host of health problems. The study, published in the Lancet, showed that using a "cervical pessary" reduced the rate in the at-risk group. Doctors said more studies were needed before the technique was used routinely. The authors said 13 million babies were born prematurely every year. In the trial, doctors were looking at women who had a cervix - part of the lower section of the uterus - which was shorter than 25mm. These pregnant women are thought to be at a higher risk of an early delivery. The cervix was measured between 18 and 22 weeks into the pregnancy by an ultrasound scan. Of the 11,875 women who took part in the trial, 726 had a cervical length less than 25mm. Half of these women had a pessary, a small ring of silicone, inserted into their cervix.