According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average time a fetus spends in the womb has decreased by seven days in the United States since 1992.
Researchers say shorter pregnancies coincide with a large number of women and doctors now scheduling childbirth for convenience.
But shortening a pregnancy could affect a baby's lung development, vision, weight and some fine-tuning of the brain.
The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have begun notifying doctors about the serious consequences of performing early elective births.
