Related topics: women · risk factors · pregnancy · pregnant women

How well do prematurely-born children do in school?

How does preterm birth affect children's school grades? Using Swedish registers for children born 1982–1994, a new study, published in Population Studies, investigates how prematurely born pupils perform in school at age ...

Study links fracking, drinking water pollution, and infant health

New research documents for the first time the pollution of public water supplies caused by shale gas development, commonly known as fracking, and its negative impact of infant health. These findings call for closer environmental ...

Widely used herbicide linked to preterm births

Exposure to a chemical found in the weed killer Roundup and other glyphosate-based herbicides is significantly associated with preterm births, according to a new University of Michigan study.

3-D-printed device detects biomarkers of preterm birth

Preterm birth (PTB)—defined as birth before the 37th week of gestation—is the leading complication of pregnancy. If doctors had a simple, accurate and inexpensive way to identify women at risk for the condition, they ...

Researchers develop placenta-on-a-chip

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed the first placenta-on-a-chip that can fully model the transport of nutrients across the placental barrier.

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Preterm birth

In humans, preterm birth refers to the birth of a baby of less than 37 weeks gestational age. Premature birth, commonly used as a synonym for preterm birth, refers to the birth of a premature infant. Because it is by far the most common cause of prematurity, preterm birth is the major cause of neonatal mortality in developed countries. Premature infants are at greater risk for short and long term complications, including disabilities and impediments in growth and mental development. Significant progress has been made in the care of premature infants, but not in reducing the prevalence of preterm birth. The cause for preterm birth is in many situations elusive and unknown; many factors appear to be associated with the development of preterm birth, making the reduction of preterm birth a challenging proposition.

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