The immediate fate, and long term outcome, of babies born before their due date is often talked of. What evidence is used to direct these discussions is crude - we seem to predict outcomes of infants born prematurely just upon the gestation. We fail to take into consideration the reasons that promote premature delivery. For example, it is not just prematurity per se that impairs the wellbeing of a baby born at 24 weeks. It may well be the antecedent prolonged ruptured membranes with its adverse effect on lung development, and an ascending infection that hampered that infant.

Likewise, infants born slightly before their expected date of delivery are far more liable to have some degree of growth restriction, or be affected by pre-eclampsia, than an infant that delivers beyond the expected date of delivery..

Commentating upon her study (1), Nobel suggests there may be an adverse effect of scholastic performance by delivering an infant earlier than nature had intended. We would suggest the underlying reason that causes delivery earlier than nature had intended, has influence upon subsequent impaired scholastic performance.

References

1 Noble KG, Fifer WP, Rauh VA, Nomura Y, Andrews HF. Academic achievement varies with gestational age among children born at term. Pediatrics 2 Jul, doi:10.1542/peds.2011-2157.

Competing interests: None declared