Mothers in early 30s have lowest premature birth risk, study finds

Mothers in their early 30s have the lowest chance of having a premature baby, new research has found, with the risk rising significantly once the mother passes 40.

Records of more than 165,000 pregnant women were analysed, showing that the likelihood of having a baby more than three weeks early among women aged over 40 was 20% higher than those in their early 30s. However, the actual risk remained low, increasing from 1% to 1.2%.

There was also a slightly higher risk for women under 30, thought to be related to higher rates of drug use and smoking, and the fact mothers were likely to be in their first pregnancy.

Babies are considered premature when they are born before 37 weeks, with the NHS saying about 8% of babies fall into this category.

The study, published in the journal Plos One, also confirmed previously identified direct links between rising age and increasing risks of pregnancy-related diabetes, high blood pressure and other complications.


Source: theguardian