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Poster Session 1

Category: Epidemiology

Poster Session 1

(197) Post-Maturity and Offspring Neurological Outcomes: Uncovering Unexpected Benefits

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Submitting Author and Presenting Author(s)

Gil Gutvirtz, MD, MHA

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Soroka University Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University
Metar, HaDarom, Israel

Coauthor(s)

Gali Pariente, MD

Acting director of Fetal Maternal Unit B Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Soroka University Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University
beer sheva, HaDarom, Israel
Tamar Wainstock, PhD (she/her/hers)

Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Beer Sheva, HaDarom, Israel
Eyal Sheiner, MD, PhD

Deichmann Lerner Full Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology; Chairman of the Division of OBY&GYN
Soroka University Medical Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben‑Gurion University of the Negev
beer sheva, HaDarom, Israel

Objective:
Prematurity poses a significant risk factor for offspring adverse neurological outcomes as the fetal brain is still evolving, which requires great efforts to prevent preterm births. Guidelines are now indicating the full-term period (39-41 weeks) as the optimal timing of delivery. However, post-maturity (≥42 weeks) is rarely investigated. We sought to investigate whether birth beyond full-term poses additional neurological risks for the offspring.

Study Design:
We conducted a population-based retrospective study including singleton births occurring between 1991-2021 at a tertiary medical center. The cohort was stratified by gestational age into full-term (39–41 weeks), late-term (41–42 weeks) and post-term (≥42 weeks) deliveries. Offspring neurological health was investigated through data extracted from community and hospitalization records. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to compare cumulative incidence of neurological morbidity and Cox regression models were used to estimate the long-term risk of the offspring to develop neurological disorders, controlling for relevant confounders.

Results:
A total of 232,476 births were included. The overall neurological morbidity was lower for children born beyond full-term (Table), and the survival curves also demonstrated lower cumulative incidence of neurological morbidity among these children (Figure). The Cox regression models, controlling for maternal and gestational age, diabetes mellitus, hypertensive disorders and cesarean delivery, and comparing to full-term birth, found a decreased risk of neurological morbidity in the offspring (Table).

Conclusion:
In this large population-based cohort, offspring born at late- and post-term gestations demonstrated a lower risk of long-term neurological morbidity compared with those born at full term. These findings may suggest enhanced neurological maturity with advancing gestational age. Nevertheless, the clinical decision to prolong pregnancy should be balanced against the established maternal and perinatal risks associated with post-term gestation, underscoring the need for individualized timing of delivery.