Premature births--babies born before 37 weeks of pregnancy--are on the rise in the U.S., and nobody is quite sure why. Multiple births due to fertility drugs account for some of the increase, but they can't explain the 27% rise in premature births over the past two decades. Today 1 in 8 babies, close to half a million annually, is born preterm--some so small, they could fit in your hand.
Prematurity is the leading cause of neonatal death, and preemies who survive are at risk for lifelong health problems, ranging from retardation and chronic lung disease to hearing and vision loss....
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