Perinataaliajan

Perinataaliajan is the Finnish term for the perinatal period, the time surrounding birth that includes late pregnancy, delivery, and the early neonatal days. It is used in obstetrics, neonatology, and epidemiology to study outcomes and health events that occur around the time of birth.

The exact boundaries of the perinatal period vary by organization and country. A common international definition starts at 22 completed weeks of gestation and ends seven completed days after birth. Some systems use 28 weeks as the starting point or extend the end point to 28 days after birth, particularly when describing neonatal outcomes. Because definitions differ, studies and statistics often specify the exact time window they employ.

In clinical practice, perinatal care focuses on optimizing outcomes for both mother and baby across the entire interval, including prenatal screening and maternal health, intrapartum management, and immediate postnatal care. Perinatal outcomes encompass perinatal mortality (stillbirths after viability and early neonatal deaths) and a range of morbidities such as respiratory problems, infections, jaundice, and congenital anomalies that can arise around birth.

In research and public health, the perinatal period provides a framework for identifying risk factors—such as maternal age and health, obstetric complications, infections, and access to quality care—and for evaluating health system performance and intervention effectiveness. The term highlights the focus on events occurring specifically around birth rather than later infancy.