ZAPORIZHZHIA — Preterm birth rates have increased in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, according to United Nations data. The preterm birth rate in the Kherson region increased from 5.4% in 2019 to 9.8% in 2025, and in Zaporizhzhia, it rose from 5.7% in 2019 to 7.6% in 2025.

The Poltava region also saw an increase, with its preterm birth rate rising from 7.7% in 2019 to 9.8% in 2025, based on scientific studies. This region experiences frequent aerial strikes, as do both regions, where attacks on residential areas are common. The front line cuts through both regions.

Marharyta Nekhoroshyva gave birth to her son, Mark, after 26 weeks of pregnancy; he weighed 940 grams at birth. Mark requires frequent hospital stays due to chronic breathing problems. "I don't believe in God, but I was praying." Nekhoroshyva said. "The doctors told me that if he survived the first three days, everything would be OK." Nekhoroshyva's husband serves in the military. Another premature infant in the maternity hospital's intensive care unit was born at 30 weeks, weighing 700 grams. One infant was born at 26 weeks weighing 740 grams and was discharged weighing 3.5 kilograms five months after birth.

Hospitals in the city have taken measures such as boarding up windows to prevent glass from shattering during Russian strikes. At the main children's hospital, mothers and premature infants descend to a shelter every night. Isaac Hurskin, spokesperson for the U.N. Population Fund, said, "We're seeing this real link between acute stress and birthing and pregnancy-related complications." Hurskin stated that Ukraine's fertility rate has dropped to roughly one child per woman over the past three years.

On one occasion, a Russian glide bomb struck a commercial area in the city, killing at least 12 people. On that same day, hospital doctors performed two cesarean sections and delivered one baby. Doctors also treated a 42-year-old woman who miscarried after witnessing an airstrike. Nataliia Bohuslavska, head of the neonatal unit at the maternity hospital, said, "When a patient calls to say her husband has been killed in the war, the only thing I can tell her is: 'Come to us. We will take care of you.'" She said, "We have to support her constantly, so that even in the midst of this terrible loss, she can find the strength to give new life a chance and save her baby."