Cases of mothers giving birth to babies prematurely are increasing rapidly in Türkiye, resulting in a rise in infant mortality.
On the occasion of World Prematurity Day, which is celebrated annually on Nov. 17 around the world to raise societal awareness about the issue, an event was organized by the Department of Child Health at Trakya University's Faculty of Medicine. Speaking at the event, Dr. Betül Acunaş said: "In Türkiye, 15 out of every 100 babies are born prematurely and this rate is increasing and has reached 15% from 11%. Our aim is to ensure these babies have a healthy life. I congratulate the health workers who put a lot of effort into this process."
Premature births made up 12% of Türkiye's 1.79 million births in 2021. According to World Health Organization (WHO) statistics, 15 million babies are born prematurely each year, and more than 1 million of them die before turning 1. The risks to the health of the baby increase with earlier birth.
Premature birth rates range from 5% to 18%, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Babies born before 28 weeks are in the highest risk group, followed by those born between 28-31 weeks and those born between 32-26 weeks. The global and Turkish trends for preterm birth rates are similar.
In particular, compared to babies delivered at term, premature babies are more susceptible to learning and behavioral abnormalities, cerebral palsy, perceptual deficiencies, infections and chronic diseases. This is because they have not yet fully matured in terms of their organ and tissue systems.
High-risk pregnancies contribute significantly to premature births. The risk of giving birth to a premature infant is also increased by factors like early pregnancy, frequent pregnancies, poor nutrition, inadequate prenatal care and carrying more than one baby.
The birth rate for twins is two times greater at 35 weeks, three times higher at 33 weeks and four times higher at 29 weeks. Türkiye has a rate of 2.3% for multiple births.
There are some important things that expectant mothers should pay attention to; Prenatal care, particularly careful monitoring of the pregnancy and necessary emergency interventions can play a major role in preventing premature birth.
In addition, the Ministry of Health provides services to expectant mothers including follow-ups, tetanus vaccinations, various supplements, nutrition counseling, testing and treatment during pregnancy, blood pressure monitoring and breastfeeding education in family clinics.
Pregnant women with chronic illnesses should not skip their routine checkups and those with cervical insufficiency should be treated in accordance with their obstetricians' recommendations. It is also recommended that those who have previously experienced a preterm birth should contact a health facility as soon as pregnancy planning begins.
Preterm delivery shouldn't be seen as an illness because these newborns can live healthy, productive lives and go through a normal developmental process, albeit they could have trouble self-activating this capacity.