Objectives—To determine neonatal morbidity rates for early term birth compared to full term

birth by precursor leading to delivery.

Study Design—This was Prospective Study  Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology Zenana Hospital, SMS Medical College, Jaipur from March 2015 to February 2016.. Precursors for delivery were categorized as spontaneous labor, premature rupture of membranes (PROM), indicated, and no recorded indication. After excluding anomalies, rates of neonatal outcome by precursor were compared  . SAMPLE SIZE – Sample size was calculated to 296 subjects in each of the two groups at alpha error 0.05 & study power 80% assuming the proportion of the low birth weight among full term & early term pregnancy to be 0.8% & 5% respectively  hence for study purpose 300 subjects were  taken in each of two groups.

Results— Overall 48% of early term births were  indicated, followed by 43.33%% spontaneous in onset, 6.33% with PROM, and 2.34% with no recorded indication. Birth weight were higher and respiratory morbidity were lowest at or beyond 39 weeks compared to the early term period for most precursors.

Conclusion— This study demonstrates that gestational age remains a predictor of neonatal morbidity. Given the higher neonatal morbidity at 37 compared to 39 weeks regardless of delivery precursor, our data support recent recommendations for designating early term to include 37 weeks.