MONTREAL, May 19 (UPI) -- Women born pre-term are at least 10 percent more likely to give birth early, according to a new study.
Researchers at the University of Montreal reviewed data of all the nearly 900,000 women born pre-term in Quebec between 1976 and 1995. The data showed that 14 percent of women born more than 8 weeks early delivered prematurely, 13 percent of those born 4 to 8 weeks pre-term went into early labor, and 9.8 percent of women who were born after full gestation gave birth early at least once during the timespan the study covered.
"The difference is not alarming considering that according to our findings the vast majority of women born preterm gave birth at term," said Dr. Anne Monique Nuyt, a professor at the Department of Pediatrics at University of Montreal in a press release. "But it is significant enough to consider preterm birth a risk factor in monitoring pregnancies."
In studying the data, researchers thought hypertension and diabetes might play a role in whether or not a woman born pre-term would give birth pre-term, but correlation remained after controlling for other health conditions.
Additionally, Nuyt said that while low birth weight often increases the risk of preterm delivery, weight does not necessarily matter as "the simple fact of being born prematurely increases the risk of premature delivery."
"Knowing that being born preterm is a risk factor for expectant mothers, obstetricians could inform their patients of the warning signs of premature labor, so they can be vigilant and respond quickly if contractions occur," Nuyt said. "Including preterm birth in the risk factors for pregnancy would also help to better target women most at risk when a preventive treatment becomes available."
The study is published in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
