Babies delivered at 36 to 38 weeks are at increased risk of health problems and complications, even if their lungs are fully developed, finds a study presented at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine annual meeting in San Francisco.
Researchers at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut compared the health of newborns who had been born at 36-38 weeks with those who were born at 39-41 weeks, looking at factors such as admission and length of stay in a neonatal intensive care unit, overall respiratory problems including respiratory distress syndrome, the need for mechanical ventilation, sepsis, hypoglycemia and even death.
Although all infants were free from birth defects and had fully-developed lungs, those who were born before the 39-week mark were more likely to have other health problems.
"Patients need to be counseled carefully if they choose to have a scheduled delivery prior to 39 weeks. Even if tests indicate that their baby’s lungs are mature, delivery prior to 39 weeks is not without risks," said Dr. Yu Ming Victor Fang, the study’s author.