Preterm birth is a dramatic event for the infant born too early, causing distress for child and parents while also burdening both parents and society. The ineffectiveness of interventions directed towards known risk factors highlights the lack of understanding of plausible  causal pathways. The recent transdisciplinary involvement of methodologists and scientists from various disciplines, including psychosocial scientists, may provide land mark advances in innovative interventions to reduce the preterm birth rate worldwide.