Maternal Health
Preterm birth is defined as babies born alive before 37 weeks of pregnancy are completed.
There are sub-categories of preterm birth, based on gestational age; extremely preterm (less than 28 weeks), very preterm (28 to less than 32 weeks), and moderate to late preterm (32 to 37 weeks). Preterm birth remains a major contributor to perinatal death across low-, middle- and high-income countries, with about 35% of deaths in the first 4 weeks of life directly attributable to prematurity. Moreover, many survivors face a lifetime of disability, including cerebral palsy, developmental delay, chronic lung disease, diabetes and visual and hearing problems. Moreover, preterm birth also has potential implications for the mother’s health, as it has been linked to the development of cardiovascular disease. Despite development gains in research over the past decade, rates of preterm birth barely changed between 2010 and 2020.