# Preterm birth

Condition · id `maternal:preterm-birth` · Maternal & Newborn Atlas · release `15708f235d73cd42` (public)

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Browse, life stage: Pregnancy; Childbirth; Newborn  

## In plain language

Birth before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy. The term covers two things: the baby who is born early, and the pregnancy that is likely to end early. WHO writes its advice on steroid injections before an early birth for women who are likely to give birth early, and its advice on the care of the baby for babies born early.

## Technical summary

WHO 2022 (antenatal corticosteroid guideline) defines preterm birth as "a baby born prior to 37 completed weeks of gestation". WHO 2022 (care of the preterm or low-birthweight infant) writes the preterm infant as under 37 weeks of gestation. The cut-off is WHO’s. Claims on this record state their recipient and keep the sides apart. For treatment given to the woman before the birth, the WHO recommendation is about women with a high likelihood of preterm birth (maternal recipient), while the ACTION-I result counts the newborn’s deaths (newborn recipient). Claims about the care of the baby after the birth concern the baby born early (WHO immediate kangaroo mother care). Other definitions, subdivisions by gestational age and causes are not recorded here.

## Connected pages

- Related to: Care of the preterm or low-birth-weight infant (`maternal:preterm-lbw-care`)
- Recommended for this: Antenatal corticosteroids (`maternal:antenatal-corticosteroids`) [a claim, not a settled fact; see claim `maternal:claim-who-2022-acs-1-0` and its context]
- Evaluated for this: Antenatal corticosteroids (`maternal:antenatal-corticosteroids`) [a claim, not a settled fact; see claim `maternal:claim-action-i-neonatal-death` and its context]
- Recommended for this: Immediate kangaroo mother care (`maternal:immediate-kmc`) [a claim, not a settled fact; see claim `maternal:claim-who-a1b-immediate-kmc` and its context]
- Investigated in: WHO ACTION-I trial (`maternal:action-i-trial`)

## Provenance

Content hash: 15352135ac453fe1ab6f09a18b94848fb9bf3d21c4cac636d9ae7c1ce442d333
Last substantive edit: 2026-10-12
Evidence last checked: Not recorded