Risk of health problems and hospitalizations increased as gestational age decreased, the study found.

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Kline, a Republican, said the clinic provided illegal abortions by not verifying the gestational age and viability of some fetuses.

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In Desiree Hawkins's case, according to her account, that was accomplished in part by misinforming her about the baby's gestational age.

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Low gestational age also resulted in poorer overall health ratings by parents.

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But it wasn't known whether the trigger was mechanical ventilation or early inflammation due to gestational age, the authors of the latest study said.

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After adjusting for gestational age, parental age and education, longer time to pregnancy was associated with a 30% increased risk of MND in children, the study found.

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Study leader Dr Tim Nawrot from Hasselt University said that even a mild reduction in gestational age has been linked in other studies to adverse health outcomes in early and later life.

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For women who get the dreaded positive result, the next steps are determined by the type of tumor -- how big it is, how much it has spread, how fast it's growing -- as well as by the gestational age of the fetus.

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