ArticleInternational journal of epidemiology2022
Gestational age at term delivery and children's neurocognitive development.
Article in International journal of epidemiology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Cognitive and academic outcomes of large-for-gestational-age babies born at early term: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica · 2025Pooled it
- Maternal and newborn plasma oxytocin levels in response to maternal synthetic oxytocin administration during labour, birth and postpartum - a systematic review with implications for the function of the oxytocinergic system.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2023Pooled it
- Educational Outcomes for Children at 7 to 9 Years of Age After Birth at 39 vs 40 to 42 Weeks' Gestation.JAMA network open · 2023Trial
- Gestational Age and Childhood Educational Outcomes in Primary and High School Years.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- Gestational age and neurodevelopmental outcomes from 1 to 5 years: the PERSIAN birth cohort.Pediatric research · 2026Article
- Uncovering subgroup heterogeneity in dyslexia intervention outcomes using explainable machine learning.NPJ science of learning · 2026Article
- Perinatal and Childhood Risk Factors of Adverse Early Childhood Developmental Outcomes: A Systematic Review Using a Socioecological Model.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Associations of Antenatal Corticosteroids With Neurodevelopment in Children Aged 27-30 Months: A Population-Based Cohort Study.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2025Article
- Clinical examination for identifying low-risk pregnancies suitable for expectant management beyond 40-41 gestational weeks: maternal and fetal outcomes.Archives of gynecology and obstetrics · 2025Article
- PedBE age and age acceleration in umbilical vein endothelial cells: an examination of infant birth outcomes.Journal of developmental origins of health and disease · 2025Article
- Association between twin status with cognitive, behavioral development and brain structure in early adolescence: a retrospective cohort analysis based on the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2025Observational
- Epidemiology of elective induction of labour: a timeless exposure.International journal of epidemiology · 2024Article
- Impact of prenatal maternal depression on gestational length: post hoc analysis of a randomized clinical trial.EClinicalMedicine · 2024Article
- Gestational Age and Neurodevelopmental Delay in Term Births at 6 and 12 Months: The Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS).Maternal and child health journal · 2024Article
- Epigenetic gestational age and the relationship with developmental milestones in early childhood.Human molecular genetics · 2023Article
- Maternal antenatal depression's effects on child developmental delays: Gestational age, postnatal depressive symptoms, and breastfeeding as mediators.Journal of affective disorders · 2023Article
- Gestational age at birth and cognitive outcomes in adolescence: population based full sibling cohort study.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2023Article
- Comparison of the outcomes of normal vaginal delivery with and without spinal anesthesia in mothers admitted to the maternity ward of Firoozabadi Hospital.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2022Article
- New Markers for Placental Dysfunction at Term - Potential for More.Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde · 2022Article
- The impact of excessive caesarean deliveries on gestational age at birth in Mexico: National-level trends, 2010-2023.Women's health (London, England)Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPreterm birth is associated with lower neurocognitive performance. However, whether children's neurodevelopment improves with longer gestations within the full-term range (37-41 weeks) is unclear. Given the high rate of obstetric intervention in the USA, it is critical to determine whether long-term outcomes differ for children delivered at each week of term.
methodsThis secondary analysis included 39 199 live-born singleton children of women who were admitted to the hospital in spontaneous labour from the US Collaborative Perinatal Project (1959-76). At each week of term gestation, we evaluated development at 8 months using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, 4 years using the Stanford-Binet IQ (SBIQ) domains and 7 years using the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children (WISC) and Wide-Range Achievement Tests (WRAT).
resultsChildren's neurocognitive performance improved with each week of gestation from 37 weeks, peaking at 40 or 41 weeks. Relative to those delivered at 40 weeks, children had lower neurocognitive scores at 37 and 38 weeks for all assessments except SBIQ and WISC Performance IQ. Children delivered at 39 weeks had lower Bayley Mental (β = -1.18; confidence interval -1.77, -0.58) and Psychomotor (β = -1.18; confidence interval -1.90, -0.46) scores. Results were similar for within-family analyses comparing siblings, with the addition of lower WRAT scores at 39 weeks.
conclusionsThe improvement in development scores across assessment periods indicates that each week up to 40 or 41 weeks of gestation is important for short- and long-term cognitive development, suggesting 40-41 weeks may be the ideal delivery window for optimal neurodevelopmental outcomes.
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