Ten Percent of American Babies Are Born Too Early
Categories: Newborns, Pregnancy & Birth, Development, In The News
More than 10 percent of U.S. births are premature, according to the World Health Organization. Credit: Alex Paleczny, Flickr
Around the globe prematurity is a major issue: Worldwide, nearly 13 million babies are born before the 37th week of gestation, and more than a million of them die each year. Sadly, the numbers appear to be on the rise.
Prematurity is most severe in Africa and Asia, where more than 85 percent of preterm births occur. The second-highest rates are found in the United States and Canada, where more than 10 percent of all births are premature. In this country alone, the rate has skyrocketed in the last 25 years, jumping 36 percent, mainly due to the increase in multiple births, assisted reproductive technology and pregnancy over age 35.
The March of Dimes says these numbers are conservative, and that the problem is likely much bigger. Prematurity takes a toll emotionally, physically and financially: In the United States, care for premature babies, or preemies, costs more than $26 billion a year. Babies born too early often spend weeks, or even months, in the neonatal intensive care unit, and are at risk of all kinds of health issues, from breathing problems and cerebral palsy to blindness, hearing loss and learning disabilities.
For now, there's no known way to prevent preterm labor, but the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says women who don't see a doctor regularly during pregnancy, those who've had earlier preterm births and moms of multiples, among other women, are at higher risk.
According to ACOG, avoiding smoking, getting good prenatal care, eating a healthful diet, limiting your activity and taking certain medications may help ward off preterm labor.
Related: British Doctors Let Preemie Die, Miracle Preemie Doing Well at 6 Months
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
kiki 10-09-2009 @ 7:23PM
What's interesting is that there is no mention of planned C-sections in this premature rate. I'd have to look again, because I can't remember off-hand, but I think that I've read a lot about planned C-sections (for repeat C-sections, multiples, breech) that end up with babies earlier than was thought.
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Trigeia Twins 10-09-2009 @ 11:20PM
Is there a reason for the jump!
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Karen 10-11-2009 @ 12:49AM
My best guess is that the higher use of meth and crack are accounting for a pretty good percentage of premature births. Drugs are rampant everywhere in this country, from big cities to tiny villages.
Betsy 10-10-2009 @ 9:21PM
The only planned cesarean's prior to 37 weeks gestation is for mom's who are at risk for uterine abruption, or her or the baby's health is in danger.
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SCooksey08 10-10-2009 @ 9:39PM
When women cannot find care providers for VBAC and the obstetrical community makes a profit for themselves and the hospitals with repeat cesareans, the prematurity rate will rise. Ultasound is not accurate for dating a pregnancy unless done at the beginning. I've seen women scheduled for cesareans because the O.B. feared a big baby. Baby then turns out to be a 36 week, 5 lb baby. Baby then goes to the NICU where Doctors "save" the baby, thereby making more money. Those billboards you see advertising the latest technology and wanting your birthing business are NOT public service announcements. They are highly paid advertising. And the premature babies have paid for them!
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Science 10-10-2009 @ 10:48PM
Well, not too surprising, since early births are much more likely after abortions - 800 % more likely after 4 or more.
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Laurel 10-10-2009 @ 11:02PM
Abortion is the reason. American women are well fed and not suffering from nutritional issues when compared to anywhere else in the world or previous times. Even women on medicade receive more prenatal care than women in otther countries, including those with government healthcare. More American women have abortions today than are still virgins at age 20. Those not having abortions are wrecking their bodies with birth control for as long as 10 years prior to trying to have a first child. It's our lifestyle. I'll be attacked for writing this but most of you know I'm right. My score is one abortion, two miscarriagees, and one healthy preemie. I am not alone.
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DD 10-11-2009 @ 12:07AM
First, not all American women are well fed. Have you looked at the poverty rates in our country lately? As for your abortion comments, don't mean to be rude, but sounds like a person problem. You made the choice to have the abortion for whatever reason and there are risk involved. You had to be made well aware of those risks.Just be thankful you had the choice and take care of your body. Birth control is a good thing. It beats usins abortion as birth control when used properly. You can not say its "our lifestyle", but for you it was your lifestyle perhaps.
mommahippo 10-11-2009 @ 12:34AM
If they in the poverty level they can get food stamps duh.
Most people on the poverty level and below look extremely well fed.
My child was born at 36 weeks and was 8 lb 6 oz, My second was a C-section because she was to big at 10 lb 1 oz. The due dates were accurate. the Doctor told me the size of my children were due to genetic's not how much I consumed or didn't consume and I gained less than 10 lbs with each of them.
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Don 10-12-2009 @ 1:01PM
There needs to be a follow up study to better diagnose what the actual cause of the rise may be. If some of the above commenters would read the study they would have seen some of the possible causes from the study(Not abortion or Greedy doctors).
"No data have been published on the global incidence of preterm birth. Preterm birth rates available from some developed countries, such as the United Kingdom, the United States and the Scandinavian countries, show a dramatic rise over the past 20
years.6,12 Factors possibly contributing to but not completely explaining this upward trend include increasing rates of multiple births, greater use of assisted reproduction techniques, increases in the proportion of births among women over 34 years of age and changes in clinical practices, such as greater use of elective Caesarean section".
'It should also be noted that the aggregate figures for regions and the estimates for countries used in the analysis could hide inequalities between population groups within countries and regions. For example, racial differences in preterm birth rates are well documented in studies from the United States.24 Further reports should consider exploring
such inequalities."
From the quoted text there are only guesses,they don't give a definitive answer for the rise. There needs to be more research and funding towards this. A little bit of money thrown towards research could save a lot of money spent on dealing with the effects of Premature birth.
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