The study "Trends in preterm birth in the Netherlands in 2011–2019: A population-based study among singletons and multiples" was published in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologia Scandinavica.
Children born before the 37th gestational week often require a long period of hospitalisation. The risks of health problems, such as infections and brain and lung problems, are higher for these children. The Department of Obstetrics analyzed figures on the number of children in the Netherlands born prematurely between 2011 and 2019. For this, the researchers looked at data from nearly 1.5 million pregnancies, including over 23,000 multiple pregnancies. Among singletons, the number of preterm births fell by 150 to 200 children per year. The decrease was seen in both spontaneous and iatrogenic preterm births, and mainly in births between 32 and 37 weeks' gestation, the relatively mild and late preterm births.
In the research they found that in the Netherlands, the percentage of preterm births has decreased between 2011 and 2019. "In our country, the decline means better health prospects for some 1,500 children," said Martijn Oudijk, professor of obstetrics and AR&D researcher. The main reason of the decline is due to a reduction in late preterm birth, both in iatrogenic than in spontaneous preterm birth. The exact cause of the decline is difficult to determine, but is probably related to an improved lifestyle such as less women smoking in pregnancy and a better focus on effective treatments to reduce preterm birth that have been available in the last decade. It is concluded in the research that focus for the near future should be in specific subgroups in which the decline was not visible, such as women with a low socioeconomic status or a young age.