Data about Premature Births and their Risks

 

Since we have commemorated World Prematurity Day, specialists informed people about premature births. On November 17 the whole planet honored World Prematurity Day, thus considering this the right opportunity to announce the alarming increasing cases of premature births in the United Kingdom. Along the years, in the UK there were registered high rates of infant mortality due to babies who are born prematurely.

• Specialists argue that premature births increased the rates on infant mortality.
• If a baby is born before week 37, it is more likely to develop all kinds of health issues during his/her life.

Statistics have proved that every year in the UK approximately 60,000 babies are born before the term. Moreover, the striking news is that almost 1,200 of them do not survive. Those kids who are robust enough to survive the premature birth usually develop other types of impairments during their evolution. They could experience cerebral palsy or learning problems.

Doctors argue that between week 37 and week 42, every pregnant woman should be prepared to go into labor. If the labor occurs before week 37 of pregnancy, then it is considered to be premature. Studies have shown evidence that in the UK, eight out of a hundred babies come into this world before week 37. What is even worse, one out of a hundred infants is born between week 22 and week 28, probably being in danger of experiencing harmful effects along with his or her development.

Scientists do not have an explanation for all these tough cases of premature births with which so many families have been confronting for years. Nevertheless, doctors have presented some risks. The main causes which contribute to such a terrible situation are placental issues, various types of infections and genetics. Moreover, there appear some cases in which the impaired state of health of the mother determines the doctors to employ a premature birth to save both the baby and the mother.

If the mother has high protein levels in her urine or high blood pressure, these two situations could be crucial if the delivery of the infant is postponed. Thus both the mother and her baby could die. It is true that a premature birth jeopardizes the life of the child, putting the infant at risk of losing her or his life before even living it. For example, a child who is born between week 34 and week 36 is less exposed to breathing complications, but he/she may develop increased blood sugar levels or infections.

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