The rate of preterm births in the United States has increased 12 percent from 2014 to 2022.
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has underscored growing concern around the maternal health crisis across the country.
According to the National Vital Statistics Report, over an eight-year period, both preterm births (less than 37 weeks of gestation) and early births (37-38 weeks of gestation) have increased from 2014 to 2022, rising 12 percent and 20 percent, respectively.
Additional findings include:
Preterm births
- The rate of preterm births increased an average of two percent each year from 2014 to 2019 and then fluctuated through 2022, dropping one percent in 2020, rising four percent in 2021, and dropping one percent again in 2022.
- By maternal age, preterm birth rates increased for each 10-year maternal age group from 2014 to 2022, ranging from nine percent (women aged 20 and younger) to 16 percent (women 40 and older).
- Preterm birth rates increased among Black women (11 percent), white women (11 percent), and Hispanic women (13 percent) from 2014 to 2022.
- Black women (12.51 percent) were nearly twice as likely as white women (7.64 percent) to give birth prematurely.
Early-term births
- The rate of early-term births increased on average by two percent annually from 2014 to 2022.
- By maternal age, early-term birth rates increased across the 10-year age groups from 2014 to 2022, from 18 percent (women aged 20 and younger) to 22 percent (women 40 and older).
- Early-term birth rates among Black women increased each year from 2014 to 2022, totaling a 21 percent jump over the eight years. Rates also increased among white women (22 percent) and Hispanic women (15 percent).
- Rates of early-term births were highest among Black women (32.71 percent) and Hispanic women (29.94 percent) compared to white women (27.34 percent).
The length of a woman’s pregnancy significantly impacts the health outcomes of both the mother and the infant, explained the researchers, underscoring gestational age as a “strong predictor” of serious medical conditions or death.
“Gestational age is a strong predictor of short- and long-term morbidity and early mortality,” explained researchers. “Births delivered preterm are at the greatest risk of adverse outcomes, but risk is also elevated for early-term compared with full-term births.”