Whether because of high blood pressure and preeclampsia or an infection, premature birth can cause a lot of questions to come up. Neil Mandsager, MD, a maternal fetal medicine specialist at MercyOne Perinatal Center, explores common questions about fetal viability and premature birth.
What is fetal viability?
In simple terms, fetal viability refers to the ability for a baby to survive outside of the womb. During the first trimester, viability is often determined by the presence of a heartbeat on an ultrasound. Generally, a baby can survive outside the womb at around 22 weeks gestational age.
“Twenty-two weeks is assuming normal growth, anatomy and chromosomes,” says Dr. Mandsager. “For a baby to survive at this critical gestation age we also often depend on antepartum prophylactic steroids (steroids for preterm birth) that help a baby mature.”
Premature birth and risks
Premature birth occurs before 37 weeks of gestation. Most premature babies are born between 22-37 weeks of gestation. For babies born prematurely, there are common health risks to be aware of including:
- Feeding difficulties.
- Infection.
- Intracranial bleeding.
- Pulmonary immaturity.
“Your baby’s health risks decrease with every week they can spend in the womb,” says Dr. Mandsager.
Ways to reduce risk of premature birth
While there are some risk factors that you cannot avoid, there are some steps you can take to lower the risk of a premature birth:
- Avoiding alcohol while trying to get pregnant and during pregnancy.
- Exercising appropriately.
- Lowering your stress levels.
- Maintaining a healthy diet.
- Managing your diabetes.
- Quitting smoking.
- Visiting your provider for regular prenatal visits.
- Watching your blood pressure.
To better understand your risks for preterm delivery and what you can do to keep you and your baby healthy, reach out to your OB/GYN provider or primary care provider.
