International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Babies born just one week early are more likely to develop learning disabilities and more serious problems, such as autism or deafness, a new study has revealed.

Researchers studied 400,000 British schoolchildren, finding that those born at 39 weeks are more likely to experience difficulties with learning than those born at full-term (40 weeks).

Some 8.4 per cent of children born pre-term suffered from a learning difficulty, compared with just 4.7 per cent of those born at 40 weeks.

Around one-third of the births in the UK take place between 37 and 39 weeks. This figure has increased over recent years as more women opt to have earlier births for non-medical reasons.

About 49,000 babies, or one in every 14 born each year, are premature or underweight.

The study called for more research to be carried out into premature births and how they can be prevented.

Jill Pell, a professor of public health, told the Daily Mail that, although women should not panic unduly as the odds of any one child having learning disabilities are still fairly low, the study is important from a public health point of view.

"A third of deliveries take place at 37 to 39 weeks. Across the country, that is an awful lot of extra cases of special educational needs due to slightly early deliveries."

Posted by Martine Ward