For several weeks, some countries have been reporting a very notable drop in the number of premature births. Is this a simple coincidence or can we see a link with the pandemic context?
It all started a few months ago when an Irish doctor noticed that orders for breast milk for premature babies were plummeting. We then realized that this was also the case in Australia, Canada, and even the United States, where up to 80% fewer newborns weighing less than 1.5 kg are observed in certain weeks. . Same observation in Belgium. According to a recent study by the intermutualist agency, the number of babies born prematurely has decreased by 30% to 80% depending on the weeks between mid-March and the end of August 2020.
"I wouldn't say it excites us, but almost, first because it's good news, but mostly because it's a trend major, this decrease in prematurity during confinement “, notes Julie Belhomme, head of the obstetrics clinic at CHU Saint-Pierre in Brussels, interviewed as part of the Corona Baby podcast series which explores the influence of Covid-19 on pregnancy, childbirth and pregnancy. parenthood.
Taken aback by these results, Olivier Danhaive, head of the neonatology department at Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, spoke with several of his colleagues in Belgium and Italy. After collecting data from 45 neonatology departments, he then made this observation:the fall in the number of premature babies mainly concerns light premature babies .
On the other hand, the curves of premature babies considered "serious and extreme", whose early birth is due to a pathology of the mother or the fetus, remain stable. The latter being less likely to be affected by rest or differences in obstetric care, doctors then conclude that the decreases in the number of "light" premature babies are indeed influenced by the pandemic context.>
“The first explanation that comes to mind is that pregnant women were less active , underlines Julie Belhomme. She is still amazed. “Until now, science has never proven that working during pregnancy could be a problem “, adds the practitioner. “We encourage our pregnant women to have a normal professional activity, to play sports. And then, there is something that says that, all the same, when you stop completely, it seems to work “.
So could the lack of activities explain these surprising trends? Maybe. The gynecologist believes that we should rather "look on the side of stress, rather than pure physical activity ". Studies have already established a link between prematurity and cortisol levels (stress hormone).
Finally, remember that repeated confinements have also had an influence on pollution levels in large cities. And again, we know that air pollution is particularly harmful to pregnant women and unborn babies.
