American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Redefines Full-Term Pregnancy

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have recently decided to reclassify the terms commonly associated with pregnancy.

As doctors had previously determined that a full term pregnancy could run anywhere from 37 to 42 weeks in order for an infant to be fully developed, several past studies have not properly categorized women who gave birth preterm.

Now doctors believe that the third trimester needs to be categorized into four groups, including the following: early term, full term, late term and postterm.

The new guidelines for doctors show that an early term is now considered between week 37 and 38. These weeks used to be considered a safe time for an infant to be born. However, previous studies have shown detrimental health problems that can happen when the child is born this early.

For instance, one study found that infants born during weeks 37 and 38 were more likely to need time in the NICU in which they might receive mechanical ventilation or IV fluids. In order to better minimize those risks, the new definitions show that a full-term pregnancy is from week 39 to 40. Week 41 is recognized as part of late term pregnancy and anything past week 42 is postterm.

Researchers hope that these new guidelines will encourage women to carry out pregnancies longer for the health of their baby.

For instance, statistics show that the number of babies born during week 37 or week 38 has increased from 17 percent in 1983 to 27 percent in 2009 due to the fact that many mothers have been asking for induction and scheduled Cesarean sections.

Early births can create complications for both mother and child. These new guidelines are set to dissuade expectant mothers from scheduling births too early.  (Isn't it supposed to be the baby's time to decide, anyways?)

More information regarding the new definitions can be found via the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.