Fetal weight and age and preterm labor
A doctor or nurse-midwife considers a number of factors when deciding how to treat preterm labor. The fetus's level of maturity, mostly judged by weight and age, is one of these factors. The later a baby is born and the more a baby weighs, the better the baby's chances of surviving.
No treatment is used if a mother is less than 23 weeks or more than 34 to 36 weeks pregnant. A fetus delivered near 23 weeks into the pregnancy has little chance of survival. A baby born near 36 weeks into a pregnancy is likely to survive with little or no treatment.
Newborns weighing less than 3 lb (1361 g) are at the greatest risk of serious problems.
| Author: | Kathe Gallagher, MSW | Last Updated: January 19, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Joy Melnikow, MD, MPH - Family Medicine Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine William Gilbert, MD - Perinatology | |
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