antepartum

American  

[an-tee-pahr-tuhm] / ˈæn tiˈpɑr təm /

adjective

1. of or noting the period prior to childbirth; before delivery.

   If there are special concerns, your doctor may order antepartum testing starting at 32 weeks.

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adverb

1. in or during the period that precedes childbirth; before delivery.

   When given antepartum, this medication can cross the placenta.

Etymology

Origin of antepartum

Borrowed into English from Latin around 1905–10

Example Sentences

On the final occasion, she called an ambulance after having a major antepartum haemorrhage.

From BBC • Feb. 10, 2025

Sufficiently frightened, I find myself alone in Room 620 in the hospital’s antepartum ward.

From New York Times • Apr. 21, 2022

Dolbeau describes an instance in which multiple fractures were found in a fetus, some of which were evidently postpartum, while others were assuredly antepartum.

From Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine by Pyle, Walter L. (Walter Lytle)

Hanks cites the history of a case of antepartum desquamation of the skin in a living fetus.

From Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine by Pyle, Walter L. (Walter Lytle)

Contracted pelvis, threatened eclampsia, and antepartum haemorrhage are typical cases, which lose half their terror if diagnosed and treated early.

From Women Workers in Seven Professions by Morley, Edith J.