The number of premature babies born in the U.S. grew 12% to nearly 8.7% from 2014 to 2022, with pronounced racial and age gaps among mothers, according to a new analysis from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
Black mothers were almost twice as likely as white mothers to give birth before their babies were full term, 12.5% versus 7.6% respectively. Similarly, women over 40 years of age had a greater risk of preterm birth compared to women between 20 and 29 years of age: 12.5% versus 8.23%.
The report adds to evidence of a maternal and child health crisis in the US, which experts expect will be exacerbated by abortion bans in the US South and some Western states. According to the American newspaper, the US has one of the highest maternal mortality rates among developed democracies Commonwealth Fund.
“What’s important here is that with all the research we’ve done to reduce preterm birth, we still haven’t found the solution,” said Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist and president-elect of the Society. for maternal-fetal medicine. “It’s because in many cases we don’t actually know what causes premature birth.”
The new NCHS report is important for a number of reasons. First, it strengthens the data showing the persistently high rate of preterm birth in the US. It also highlights the potential risks of starting families later in life – which has been the case over the past decade a shift towards women gave birth in my early forties.
Finally, it highlights the glaring and persistent racial disparities between black women and their white and Hispanic counterparts. Researchers have hypothesized that these differences may be due to “weathering,” or premature aging due to the stress of racism and deprivation. Gyamfi-Bannerman said that while weathering may be part of the problem, preterm birth is likely “multifactorial.”
Preterm birth, or birth before the 37th week, is the leading cause of death and health problems, or ‘morbidities’, for infants and children. In general, the sooner a baby is born, the greater the risk of death, serious health complications and disability. In the same way, studies have found that even babies born prematurely, especially at 37 weeks of age, face increased health risks.
Researchers at the NCHS examined birth certificates from 2014, the most recent low point in preterm births, through 2022, which includes all births. The analysis was limited to births involving one baby, or ‘singles’, because multiple births tend to be born earlier.
Researchers found that the number of preterm births increased by about 2% each year, with some fluctuations during the Covid-19 pandemic, suggesting that the social and economic stressors thought to be behind many preterm births could be worsening.
“We know there is a link between stress and preterm birth, and that is something that has been studied in the literature but is very difficult to mitigate,” says Gyamfi-Bannerman. “We see it again and again.”
Importantly, the figure reported by NCHS is a different calculation than another much-discussed preterm birth statistic: the 10.4% preterm birth rate cited by the March of Dimes. In November, also based on data from the NCHS, the children’s advocacy organization gave the US a grade of D+ due to the high number of premature births.
Although the data in both cases is derived from birth certificates, the data cited in the March of Dimes report is from live births, while the statistic cited in the new report looks at all births.
The report covers the very beginning of the post-Dobbs era. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, which guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion, in July 2022. More than a dozen states, mostly in the South, quickly banned abortion. In June 2023, a survey of obstetricians and gynecologists reported the effect of abortion restrictions and bans as predominantly negative.
Experts believe An abortion ban could worsen premature birth trends, especially in southern and some western states, by forcing doctors who care for pregnant women and new mothers to leave where their livelihoods and freedoms are not threatened by criminal abortion bans.