U.S. in Top 10 for Premature Births Latest Pregnancy News
THURSDAY, June 7 (HealthDay News) -- The United States is among
the 10 countries with the highest number of premature births,
according to a new study. Worldwide, nearly 15 million babies
were born prematurely in 2010 -- more than one in 10 of all
births. The majority of premature births -- 60 percent --
occurred in developing nations in south Asia and sub-Saharan
Africa, according to researchers. But premature birth is not a
problem limited to the poorest nations. In 2012, 517,000 babies
were born preterm (before 37 weeks gestation) in the United
States, according to the report by researchers from Save the
Children in South Africa. Full term is 40 weeks. The study is in
the June 7 issue of the journal The Lancet. Of 65 nations
studied, preterm birth rates decreased in just three -- Croatia,
Ecuador and Estonia -- between 1990 and 2010, and remained
stable in 14 others. In many other countries, rates of preterm
birth increased. The European countries w