Birth, premature Birth, premature Birth, premature.
Premature birth occurs when an infant is born earlier in pregnancy than normal.
There is no single measure of fetal weight or development that is used to determine premature birth, but the designation usually implies that the infant was born before the thirty-sixth week of gestation. A premature birth may occur spontaneously, or it may be medically induced. The incidence of premature birth is higher for women who have not had proper prenatal care and whose obstetric history is abnormal. Cigarette smoking and diets deficient in protein or calories are other contributing factors. Premature birth and low birth weight are major causes of neonatal mortality.