perinatal

American

[per-uh-neyt-l] / ˌpɛr əˈneɪt l /

adjective

occurring during or pertaining to the phase surrounding the time of birth, from the twentieth week of gestation to the twenty-eighth day of newborn life.

perinatal British

/ ˌpɛrɪˈneɪtəl /

adjective

of, relating to, or occurring in the period from about three months before to one month after birth

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

perinatally

adverb

Etymology

Origin of perinatal

First recorded in 1950–55; peri- + natal

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Perinatal depression, meaning depression during pregnancy or after birth is believed to affect one in five women giving birth worldwide.

From Science Daily • Jun. 19, 2024

Joelle Puccio, the director of education at the Academy of Perinatal Harm Reduction, told Salon via email she's concerned that this will affect neonatal mortality rates as well.

From Salon • Mar. 12, 2024

Perinatal mortality—death late in pregnancy or in the first week of life—remains stubbornly persistent.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 22, 2022

Perinatal mental health is just one of many factors: Several other psychosocial, systemic and genetic factors play into these outcomes and we definitely need to keep those in mind.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 25, 2022

Dr Saman Kumara, president of the Perinatal Society of Sri Lanka, recorded a desperate video message last week, pleading for ET tubes to help newborn babies breathe.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2022

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023