Risk Factors for Preterm Birth. What risk factors do you have for premature birth?
The specific causes of spontaneous preterm birth are not fully understood. However, there are several known risk factors for preterm birth.
While it is important to track these risk factors in every pregnancy, up to half of women who deliver prematurely have no known risk factors.1
Known Risk Factors for Preterm Labor
Medical risk factors for premature birth:*
- Prior miscarriage
- Pregnancy with multiples
- Family history of premature birth (sister, mother, or grandmother)
- Maternal age (17 or younger, 35 or older)
- Problems with uterus, placenta, or cervix (including short cervix length)
- Pregnant through in vitro fertilization (IVF)
- Maternal weight (underweight or overweight before pregnancy)
*This is not a comprehensive list or a recommendation of all risk factors that clinicians should use to determine a patient’s risk for preterm birth.
Lifestyle risk factors for preterm birth:*
- High stress levels
- Smoking
- Alcohol use
FAQs about Premature Birth Risk Factors
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Research and References
- Iams, JD, et al. Prevention of preterm parturition. N Engl J Med. 2014;370:254-61.
- Petrini JR, et al. Estimated effect of 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate on preterm birth in the United States. Obstet Gynecol. 2005;105:267-72.
- Martin JA, et al. Births: Final Data for 2002. Natl Vital Stat Rep. 2003; 52(10):1-113.
- Hassan SS, et al. Vaginal progesterone reduces the rate of preterm birth in women with a sonographic short cervix: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol. 2011;38:18-31.
- Martin JA, et al. Births: Final Data for 2009. Natl Vital Stat Rep. 2011; 60(1):1-70.