RACE IS REAL: Black Women gestation is 1 week shorter than White Women

(005875.811-:E-000062.43:N-AC:R-SU:C-30:V)   

[This is from a medical journal. I have come across this stuff before. There are quite a few differences between White women and Black women when it comes to gestation and birth. NO WE ARE NOT ALL THE SAME! Interestingly White women have the longest gestation period. Jan]

Does gestation vary by ethnic group? A London-based study of over 122,000 pregnancies with spontaneous onset of labour
Roshni R Patel 1 , Philip Steer, Pat Doyle, Mark P Little, Paul Elliott
Affiliations

PMID: 15075154 DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyg238

Abstract

Background: Evidence exists that normal gestational length varies with ethnicity. This UK-based study compares gestational length amongst a cohort of white European, Black and Asian women.

Methods: The cohort comprised 122 415 nulliparous women with singleton live fetuses at the time of spontaneous labour, giving birth in the former North West Thames Health Region, London, UK.

Results: The median gestational age at delivery was 39 weeks in Blacks and Asians and 40 weeks in white Europeans. Black women with normal body mass index (BMI) (18.5-24.9 kg/m(2)) had increased odds of preterm delivery (odds ratio [OR] = 1.33, 95% CI: 1.15, 1.56, adjusted for deprivation and BMI) compared with white Europeans. The OR of preterm delivery was also increased in Asians compared with white Europeans (OR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.33, 1.56, adjusted for single unsupported status and smoking). Meconium stained amniotic fluid, which is a sign of fetal maturity, was statistically significantly more frequent in preterm Black and Asian infants and term Black infants compared with white European infants.

Conclusions: This research suggests that normal gestational length is shorter in Black and Asian women compared with white European women and that fetal maturation may occur earlier.
Comment in

Commentary: ethnic differences in gestational age exist, but are they ‘normal’?
Savitz DA. Int J Epidemiol. 2004 Feb;33(1):114-5. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyh041. PMID: 15075155 No abstract available.

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Variations in neonatal mortality, infant mortality, preterm birth and birth weight in England and Wales according to ethnicity and maternal country or region of birth: an analysis of linked national data from 2006 to 2012.

Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15075154/