Adding my uneducated guess:<p>- there's some evidence that healthcare in general can benefit from deliberate less intervention by patients and medical staff [0]<p>- maternity intervention is notorious for intervention (historically for good reasons) yet, today, so much extra can be profited by just pre-planning interventions that are distorting incentives [1]<p>- pandemic has raised the stakes of leaving home, particularly visiting hospitals so people think twice before deciding to go for intervention - patients preserveer more. That includes expecting mothers.<p>[0] this an opinion <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/19/patients-hospital-care-over-intervention" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/19/patien...</a><p>[1] <a href="https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/too-much-too-soon-addressing-over-intervention-maternity-care" rel="nofollow">https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/too-much-too-soon-address...</a>
I was on pre term labour watch last year and spent 12 weeks on bed rest in hospital. While the drs never knew the reason for why I was at risk (body showed early labour signs) I felt it was likely stress related. Spending 3 months in bed with all my meals provided and my basic needs met enabled me to relax and get to term. Old school treatment but it proved to work. I'd say stress correlates directly to pre term births.
Uneducated guess: I've read a few studies linking air pollution to pregnancy disorders. Maybe the effects are even stronger than previously thought.
My labor and delivery nurse MIL speculates it is because of the increase in fevers associated with Covid. More young moms coming in with fevers and testing positive with Covid.