perinatal

Perinatal refers to the period surrounding birth, including late pregnancy, birth, and the early postnatal period. In clinical and public health usage, it commonly covers roughly from late gestation (approximately 28 weeks of gestation or later) through the first week after birth, though definitions vary. The perinatal period is a focus of obstetric and neonatal care because outcomes in this interval influence infant survival and long-term health.

Perinatal outcomes refer to events and conditions that occur during these stages, including fetal growth issues, preterm birth, low birth weight, birth injuries, birth asphyxia, and neonatal complications. Perinatal mortality combines fetal deaths and early neonatal deaths that occur during or shortly after birth; definitions vary by country and organization.

Perinatal care involves prenatal care to optimize maternal health and fetal development, intrapartum monitoring and safe delivery practices, immediate neonatal resuscitation when needed, and postpartum support for mothers and newborns. This field brings together obstetrics, neonatology, maternal-fetal medicine, and public health.

Research in perinatology examines risk factors such as maternal chronic conditions, infections, hypertensive disorders, diabetes, advanced maternal age, multiple pregnancy, smoking, and substance exposure; socioeconomic and access-to-care factors; and interventions that reduce adverse outcomes, such as prenatal care, sterile delivery, and early neonatal care.

Terminology related to the perinatal period includes perinatal mortality, perinatal morbidity, and perinatal depression in the context of maternal mental health around childbirth. The perinatal framework supports clinical practice, policy planning, and epidemiological studies aimed at improving outcomes for mothers and infants.