PREGNANCY & CHILDBIRTH | Study Finds Some Developmental Delays in 'Late-Preterm' Infants
[March 31, 2009]

Infants born at 34 to 36 weeks' gestation were 36% more likely than full-term infants to have developmental delays in kindergarten, according to a study in the journal Pediatrics, the AP/Miami Herald reports. According to the AP/Herald, the study adds to growing evidence about negative effects in so-called "late-preterm" infants and "bolsters arguments against scheduling caesarean section births more than a few days early just for the convenience of doctors and mothers" (Tanner, AP/Miami Herald, 3/30). According to the New York Times, more than 4% of the late-preterm infants in the study experienced a developmental delay or disability in kindergarten, compared with nearly 3% of full-term infants, defined as those born at 37 weeks' gestation or later. The Times reports that researchers "were surprised by the results, in large part because babies born ages 34 or 35 weeks of gestation, though not full-term, have long been considered in the clear." Steven Benjamin Morse, an author of the study and an associate professor of pediatrics at University of Florida, said, "The biggest take-home point is that the late-preterm baby is not exactly the same as the term baby."

Preterm births are rising in the U.S., representing 12.3% of births in 2003, compared with 9.4% in 1981, the Times reports. About 70% of preterm births are considered to be in the late-preterm category (Rabin, New York Times, 3/30). According to the AP/Herald, the study did not examine why the infants in the study were delivered early. One of the most common reasons for early deliveries is that doctors induce labor because of bleeding or blood pressure problems in the woman. Premature labor of unknown causes also can result in preterm births, but sometimes physicians can use medicine to stop the labor if the health of the woman and infant are not at risk, the AP/Herald reports. Helen Kay, obstetrics chief at the University of Chicago Medical Center, said the results of the study might make doctors more cautious about inducing labor (AP/Miami Herald, 3/30). Alan Fleischmean, medical director of the March of Dimes, said that while many preterm deliveries are considered medically necessary, some may be preventable. He added, "We need to make sure the obstetricians are not suggesting early deliveries and caesarean sections to be done at their convenience, and that the mothers are not requesting early deliveries" (New York Times, 3/30).





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