Centiles of weight of spontaneous and medically induced preterm births in Lombardy

Among preterm births, different clinical conditions are included: mainly spontaneous and medical induced. In fact, about 30% of preterm (particularly late preterm) births are medically indicated and the birth weight of these cases may differ from spontaneous preterm birth. In this paper, we have analyzed separately the percentiles of weight at birth in preterm births according to spontaneous and induced births using data of all deliveries in Lombardy, in the period of time between 1st January 2010 and 31th December 2013. The centiles of weight were lower among medically induced births in all the considered week of gestation and among males and females. This descriptive analysis of centiles of weight at birth in Lombardy provides Italian obstetricians and neonatologist with curves of fetal growth more closely representing the population under cure, in particular offer information at our knowledge not available before on the distribution of centiles of weight at birth on babies born preterm spontaneously or after induction or elective cesarean section.