Premature births

By the numbers
• About 12 percent of births in the United States are considered premature. Pre-term labor is labor that occurs before the 37th week of pregnancy.
• Most pregnancies last 38-42 weeks.
• A normal due date is 40 weeks after the first day of a last menstrual period.
• Survival rate of infants of gestation of less than 24 weeks is very poor.
• Survival increases to 50 percent at 24-26 weeks.
• After 26 weeks, the survival rate is about 90 percent.
• UTMB treats about 1,000 premature infants each year.

Who is affected
• About half the time, the cause of premature birth is unknown. The other half can be caused by poor prenatal care, infection, hypertension, or abuse of drugs, alcohol or tobacco. These are the most common known causes.
• Risk factors include, but are not limited to, having had a previous premature baby, multiple births, very young maternal age and infection.
• Preterm labor can happen to any woman: Only about half the women who have pre-term labor fall into any known risk group.
• Babies who are born preterm are at higher risk of needing hospitalization, having long-term health problems and of dying than babies born at term.
• Preterm labor may sometimes be stopped with a combination of medication and rest. More often, birth can be delayed just long enough to transport the woman to a hospital with a neonatal intensive care unit and to give her a drug to help speed up her baby’s lung development.

Women most at risk
• Pregnant with twins, triplets or more
• Who have had a previous preterm birth
• Women with uterine or cervical abnormalities

Signs of trouble
Any pregnant woman should call their healthcare provider or go to the hospital right away if they think they’re having preterm labor. Signs of preterm labor include:
• Contractions (abdomen tightens like a fist) every 10 minutes or more often
• Change in vaginal discharge
• Pelvic pressure — the feeling that the baby is pushing down
• Low, dull backache
• Cramps that feel like a period
• Abdominal cramps with or without diarrhea

Sources: Dr. Joan Richardson, UTMB Galveston Director of Pediatrics, March of Dimes, BBC News/Health Web site