In 2006, the Institute of Medicine issued the report Preterm Birth: Causes, Consequences and Prevention. The report notes the high rate of preterm birth in the United States as well as the disparities between different racial and ethnic groups. The document also discusses the high costs associated with this health issue.

The Institute of Medicine calls for a multidisciplinary research agenda aimed at improving the prediction and prevention of preterm labor and better understanding the health and developmental problems to which preterm infants are more vulnerable. It also calls for guidelines that will reduce the role fertility treatment plays in preterm birth.