RISK FACTORS OF PRETERM BABIES
*T. Neha, U. Swathi, S. Priyanka, R. Mani Deepika and G. Ramesh
ABSTRACT
Premature birth gives the baby less time to develop in the womb. Health care providers consider the following factors to put women at high risk for preterm labour or birth: Women who have delivered preterm before, or who have experienced preterm labour before, are considered to be at high risk for preterm labor and birth. Being pregnant with twins, triplets, or more (called "multiple gestations") or the use of assisted reproductive technology is associated with a higher risk of preterm labor and birth. One study showed that more than 50% of twin births occurred preterm, compared with only 10% of births of single infants. Women with certain abnormalities of the reproductive organs are at greater risk for preterm labor and birth than are women who do not have these abnormalities. For instance, women who have a short cervix (the lower part of the uterus) or whose cervix shortens in the second trimester (fourth through sixth months) of pregnancy instead of the third trimester are at high risk for preterm delivery.
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