Factors that cause premature birth

There has been a sharp rise in the number of premature birth in the last decade. Old-timers would definitely say that this wasn’t the case a few years back when a majority of the births would be regular deliveries with the baby hale and healthy. The new age diet, lifestyle, and genetics are causing a lot more premature births.

Every parent would want their baby to be healthy and delivered right on the due date. However, it is good to stay informed about the various factors that influence premature birth to try and avoid it as much as possible.

Time between child births

This is perhaps the most well-established fact in premature birth causes. If the difference between two kids is less than 12 months, there is a 50% chance that the baby will be born before the 39^th week. If you plan to have more than one kid make sure you space out and plan accordingly to avoid the second baby being a premature birth.

Personal birth history/genes

This is not proved medically but by studies based on the sheer probability of numbers it has been concluded that a personal history repeats itself more than 50% of the time. If you have a premature birth, there is a good chance it will happen the next time too! The same has been found to apply in over 30% of women who share similar genes (same family bloodline).

Twins/Multiples

Multiple surveys by medical councils indicate that more than 50% of twin births happen preterm! This number only increases if it is triplets! Also, in the case of quadruplets and other multiples, the percentage of premature birth increases exponentially up to 90%! Be prepared for premature babies if the Sonogram shows more than one heartbeat.

Conceiving method

Artificial methods of conceiving a baby - IVF, AI, IUI are gaining popularity to tackle infertility problems. Preterm birth is widely observed in artificial conceiving methods, especially the IVF (In Viro Fertilization) technique that is the most common method that is used when both parents are fertile but not able to conceive.

Though science doesn’t know why these methods are associated with premature birth or how to control this occurrence, it is best that parents and gynecologists are ready for it! Being prepared for a premature childbirth could save lives and avoid undue tension.