Delivery at 39 Weeks May Be Best for Pregnancies Conceived Via Infertility Treatment

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 16, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- In pregnancies conceived with infertility treatment, delivery at 39 weeks provides the lowest perinatal risk versus risk at the subsequent week of gestation, according to a study published online Aug. 11 in JAMA Network Open.

Ira Hamilton, M.D., from University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and colleagues sought to identify the gestational age at which the ongoing risks for stillbirth are optimally balanced with the risks for neonatal comorbidities and infant deaths in term singleton pregnancies conceived with infertility treatment. The analysis included birth and death data from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics (2014 through 2018; 178,448 singleton term pregnancies).

The researchers found that the risk of delivery in the subsequent week of gestation was lower than the risk of delivery at both 37 weeks (628 versus 1,005 per 10,000 live births) and 38 weeks (483 versus 625 per 10,000 live births). However, compared with risk of delivery at 39 weeks (479 versus 599 per 10,000 live births), the risk of delivery in the subsequent week of gestation was significantly elevated. No significant differences in risk were seen for 40 weeks (639 versus 594 per 10,000 live births) and 41 weeks (701 versus 633 per 10,000 live births).

"The findings suggest an increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes with both early-term and late-term delivery among patients who conceived with infertility treatment," the authors write.

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