In the past, there has been a wide variation in the use of the word “full term” to describe pregnancy. This has been true of both patients and doctors. Officially, the term “term pregnancy” referred to 37-42 weeks of gestation, which is a rather wide range. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), along with and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, has issued new definitions which should greatly help to avoid confusion, but only if everyone uses it consistently. The change important because outcomes vary widely depending on the number of weeks of gestation. There is recent evidence that babies born a few weeks early but still “term” actually have a greater risk of complications than babies born closer to “full term.” Here is the new classification system:
- Early term: 37 weeks – 38 weeks, 6 days
- Full term: 39 weeks – 40 weeks, 6 days
- Late term: 41 weeks – 41 weeks, 6 days
- Postterm: 42 weeks and later
This change is also important because there has been an increase in elective c-sections and inductions for non-medical reasons, some of them at dates earlier than full term. As mentioned above, there is now evidence that babies born at early term have a greater risk of complications. Perhaps this new terminology will be a step in the direction of reducing the number of early term deliveries performed for non-medical reasons.
