Why are pregnancies getting shorter?

Every life coming into this world is a miracle, but lately, experts have noticed more and more babies are being born earlier than expected.

And when that happens, the chances your little one will have health problems are higher.

Pregnancies are getting shorter, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CDC researchers looked at births that happened before full-term pregnancy, around 40 weeks. They found early-term births at 37 or 38 weeks are up by 20% since 2014. Pre-term births before 37 weeks are up by 12%.

“This is concerning because if a baby is born early term, not pre-term,” said Dr. Celine Gounder, CBS News medical contributor, “even early term, there can be complications, so the lungs may not be fully developed. That baby may not be able to regulate their temperature or their blood sugar as well; they may not have that suckling reflex that allows the baby to feed, and that means staying in the hospital for longer.”

Celine Gounder said many factors are causing the rise in early-term births, including obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and convenience.

“There is no question that some of this is early induction, early C-sections, but the trends of those have actually been going down. While still too high, the trend has been going down over the last 10-15 years, complications, things like pre-eclampsia or eclampsia, these are the reasons women are having to deliver earlier, for their own health as well as the health of the pregnancy,” Gounder said.

Gounder said women should not wait until they are pregnant to address issues. She advises going into pregnancy as healthy as possible.

If you’re pregnant and experiencing headaches, changes in urination and high blood pressure, it’s critical to see your doctor right away.