Can do better. This is the conclusion of the latest report of the Euro-Peristat project on perinatal health. This document compares data from 26 European countries on the health of pregnant women and newborns and medical practices during pregnancy.
France recorded 9.2 dead children out of 1,000 births in 2010, the highest rate in Europe. Inserm, which collaborated in the study, speculates that this poor result is linked to medical terminations of pregnancy (IMG), “much higher than those observed in other countries”.
In terms of neonatal mortality (death in the first 27 days after birth), France ranks 17th in Europe with 2.3 per 1000 live births in France for an average rate in Europe of between t 1.2 and 5 , 5.
The number of premature babies on the rise
Prematurity, which corresponds to births before 37 weeks of gestational age, showed a slight increase in France in 2010 while it fell in ten other European countries: it went from 6.3 to 6.6% of live births.
Twin pregnancies, which present a risk to the health of mother and child, have also increased in France with 17.4 per 1,000. This increase is believed to be due to the increase in maternal age.
Risk factors
Among the risk factors for the health of mothers and children, the report underlines that obesity among pregnant women has increased slightly with 9.9% in 2010 against 7.4% in 2003. Women still do not appear not sufficiently aware of the harmful effects of tobacco during pregnancy, they are still 17% to smoke during pregnancy, according to Inserm.
