Adverse childhood experiences are associated with spontaneous preterm birth: a case–control study

More than 1 in 10 infants are born prematurely worldwide, making preterm birth the leading cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity. Chronic maternal stress is increasingly recognized as one of the contributing risk factors for preterm birth, yet its specific role remains largely unknown. Examining the exposure to stressors over a mother's life course might provide more perspective on the role of maternal stress in preterm birth. Our aim was...