London, March 2: A study published in the British Medical Journal brings to the fore variation in the risk of birth complications between racial groups, and shows that babies born to South Asian women are at a higher risk of perinatal mortality – death before, during or shortly after birth – than those born to black or white women.

The World Health Organization defines post-term pregnancy as beyond 41 completed weeks from the first day of the last menstrual period. Post-term pregnancy is associated with increased perinatal mortality, and induction of labour at 41 weeks is often used to help avoid this risk.

However, the evidence shows that the average length of gestation varies between racial groups – shorter in South Asian and black women – suggesting that complications may occur before the 41-week induction point in these women.

In the current study, researchers from and Bristol involved over 197,000 white, South Asian and black women who were expecting their first child and who delivered a single baby weighing at least 500 grams at 24 to 43 weeks.

They found that the perinatal mortality patterns differed significantly with racial group, as at every stage of gestation, it was highest in South Asian women, and from term onwards, the upswing in risk occurred earliest and steepest in South Asian women, then black women, followed by white women.

The authors say that their findings indicate genetic variations in gestational length, and argue that increased fetal surveillance and growth monitoring from 40, rather than 41, weeks' gestation is needed for South Asian and black women. (ANI)