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On December 5^th, 2007, the National Center for Health Statistics reported that in 2005, the preterm birth rate rose, and figures for 2006 were tending towards another increase. Babies are considered preterm when they are born before thirty-seven weeks of gestation.

The National Center for Health Statistics findings concluded that the preterm birth rate increased in 2005 to 12.7 percent (more than 525,000 babies), up from 12.5 percent in 2004. Startlingly, the preterm birthrate has increased more than 20 percent since 1990.

March of Dimes states that preterm babies have “a greater risk of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), feeding difficulties, temperature instability (hypothermia), jaundice and delayed brain development.” They estimate that average medical cost for the first year of a preterm infant’s life is ten times greater than the amount for a full-term infant.

Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes responded to the National Center for Health Statistics’ release in saying, “The more we learn about the terrible consequences of an early birth, the more determined the March of Dimes is to understand what causes preterm birth and how it can be prevented.”

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Tags: gestation, Health Statistic, Pregnancy, preterm delivery