Rise in the number of premature births
New figures from the Office for National Statistics have revealed that one in ten mothers over the age of 40 gives birth to a premature baby.
The data also showed the number of live births to mothers in this age range has more than quadrupled since the 1980s – shooting from 6,519 births in 1982 to 29,994 in 2012.
Britain now sees more than 60,000 premature births every year; an increase that has been attributed to the record level of multiple births caused by IVF treatment and also planned Caesarean deliveries.
