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One in nine babies around the world is born before the full terminal figure of pregnancy , and although these preterm births occur in the main in the developing world , the number of preterm birth in the United States ranks among the 10 highest in the world , a new report card says .

Worldwide , an estimated 11.1 percent of births in 2010 were preterm , or before 37 weeks of maternity , the account say . TheU.S. preterm parturition ratewas 12 percent . While that constituted a svelte rise ? 0.7 per centum points ? since 1990 , some European countries saw their preterm nativity rate rise four times as much over the same two 10 .

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" Most European nation have about half the pretermbirth rate of the U.S. , but whilst the U.S. rate has tear down off , European rate , even in Norse nation , are increase , " said study author Dr. Joy Lawn , a pediatrician and epidemiologist who worked for the World Health Organization in producing the reputation .

Preterm birthis the largest cause of newborn deaths and the second - bombastic cause of destruction ( trail only pneumonia ) in tike before long time 5 , researchers said .

virtually fifteen million babies worldwide were born preterm in 2010 , the report estimates .

a pregnant woman touches her belly

The report was based on statistics from 184 state . The researchers also looked at 20 years ' Charles Frederick Worth of preterm birth rate in 65 countries that had the available data point .

For those 65 countries , the overall preterm birth rate in 2010 was 8.6 percent ; it had been 7.5 percent in 1990 . Over the two tenner , the preterm birth rate minify in only three of the land : Croatia , Estonia and Ecuador . The charge per unit held steady in 14 countries . A specific reason for the increase in the other countries was unknown , the report card said .

Sixty pct of all preterm births in 2010 occurred in southern Asia or sub - Saharan Africa , where 52 pct of all global births occur .

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Preterm birthing rate in many European countries increase between 1.5 and 2.8 percent since 1990 , and research worker say the effect on the health care system were apparent .

The research was done for the World Health Organization . The report come along today ( June 7 ) in the Lancet .

Improvingmaternal wellness carecould dramatically reduce rates of preterm birth , according to a scuttlebutt on the report by Nils - Halvdan Morken from University of Bergen in Norway .

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Pass it on : Preterm nascency occurs in one in nine maternity globally , increase the risk of demise during puerility . relative incidence of preterm birth seems to be increase in many places , including Europe , which has historically seen low preterm - parturition rate .

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A new study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to show dramatic changes in the brain during pregnancy. Pregnancy increased gray matter loss and reshaped the default mode network, which is responsible for the mind wandering and a sense of identity.

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