Rate of US babies born prematurely has grown 12%, analysis says

Report adds to evidence of a maternal and infant health crisis, which experts expect will be exacerbated by abortion bans

The rate of babies born prematurely in the US grew 12% from 2014 to 2022 to nearly 8.7%, with pronounced racial and age disparities among the mothers, a new analysis from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) found.

Black mothers were almost twice as likely as white mothers to give birth before babies reached full term, 12.5% versus 7.6% respectively. Similarly, women older than 40 had a greater risk of preterm birth compared to women aged 20-29, 12.5% versus 8.23%.

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UK fertility treatment comparison tool featuring IVF data launched

Dashboard allows people to explore data including egg and sperm donors from 1991 onwards

People turning to fertility treatments such as IVF can now access an online tool to compare NHS funding in their area with the rest of the UK.

The dashboard, launched by the regulator Human Fertility and Embryology Authority (HFEA), is thought to be a world first, and allows those looking to undergo processes such as IVF and ICSI, as well as researchers, to explore data from 1991 onwards, covering 665,690 patients.

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Babies born in Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’ weigh less at birth, more likely to be preterm – report

Researchers find that newborns in notorious industrial corridor experience low birth weight at three times the national average

Newborns living in the worst-polluted areas of Louisiana, including an 85-mile industrial corridor known as “Cancer Alley”, experience low birth weights at more than three times the national average, according to data cited in a report released Thursday. The rate of preterm births there is also twice the national average, researchers found.

In parts of Louisiana near fossil fuel and petrochemical plants, low birth weight rates reached 27% and preterm births rates 25%, according to research from Tulane University that was published in a Human Rights Watch report on Thursday. The full paper linking pollution and reproductive health is currently under peer review for publication in the journal Environmental Research: Health.

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Experience: I woke up from a Covid coma with newborn twins

Even when I saw the babies, I thought it was a dream and they weren’t mine

In March 2020, I was healthy and enjoying being 24 weeks pregnant with twins, which had come as a joyful surprise. Then I contracted Covid-19, probably at work. I’m a rheumatology consultant at Birmingham city hospital, and had been risk-assessed to work from home. But I have a duty of care to my patients and went to the hospital for some in-person commitments. Hospitals, including ours, were increasingly overwhelmed by Covid patients.

When I became unwell, paramedics arrived to examine me at home. But I soon deteriorated and my husband, Matthew, drove me to A&E. I was moved rapidly to intensive care, where I was to be intubated. I called Matthew, and we prayed. We’re strong Christians, very close and work as a team. The idea of being apart was daunting. I encouraged him to focus on our older children, Nnamdi Ronald and Chisimdi Claire, who were 12 and 11. Although I was struggling with my breathing, I reassured him I’d be coming round in two to three days. However, this wasn’t to be the case.

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Nearly 65,000 US rape victims could not get an abortion in their state, analysis shows

Researchers estimated likely number of rape-related pregnancies in 14 states with near-total abortion bans since Dobbs ruling

Nearly 65,000 rape-related pregnancies likely occurred in the 14 US states with near-total abortion bans following the US supreme court’s 2022 Dobbs decision – yet just 10 legal abortions are performed monthly on average in these states, researchers found in a new analysis.

The data demonstrates that abortion bans likely make it impossible for most victims of rape to obtain abortions in their home states, even for the minority of people who live in states with exemptions for rape, researchers said.

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‘We suffer in silence’: five women share their miscarriage stories

One in five pregnancies end in miscarriage, yet most people have no idea what happens when a fetus is no longer viable

Up to one in five known pregnancies end in miscarriage, but despite its ubiquity, the details of the experience are rarely discussed.

In September 2023, an Ohio woman who miscarried in the toilet at 22 weeks was turned in to police when she sought medical attention. A grand jury declined to indict Brittany Watts for “abuse of corpse” last week, but the charges sparked outrage on social media, prompting many women around the country to recount their own miscarriage stories.

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What should women do after a miscarriage? The answer is dangerously unclear post-Roe

With near-total bans on abortion in 14 states, the laws on miscarriage are vague – stoking fears of criminal consequences

For a long time after her miscarriage, Rebecca sat on the toilet, trying to figure out what to do.

“I thought about fishing it out of the bloody water,” she said. “I didn’t really want to hold it in my hand. I also didn’t know what I would do with it afterwards. Am I gonna put it in the trash? Am I gonna dig a hole in the backyard? What the hell am I supposed to do? I had no idea.”

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