Late preterm birth: management dilemmas.

In summary, late preterm birth results from spontaneous, indicated, and sometime elective indications. The burden of prematurity can be decreased if elective late preterm delivery is eliminated. While recent recommendations from the NICHD/SMFM workshop on timing of late preterm and early term birth have helped to guide management, the authors acknowledge that most of their guidelines are based on grade B or C evidence. Certain conditions absolutely warrant late preterm delivery; however, the clinician should weigh the risks of iatrogenic prematurity with the benefits of delivery for maternal or fetal indication when considering intervention for this cohort.