prenatal

[pree-neyt-l]

adjective

1. previous to birth or to giving birth.

   prenatal care for mothers.

prenatal

/ priːˈneɪtəl /

adjective

1. occurring or present before birth; during pregnancy

noun

1. informal,  a prenatal examination

prenatal

1. A descriptive term for the period between conception and birth.

Other Word Forms

• prenatally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of prenatal¹

First recorded in 1820–30; pre- + natal

Example Sentences

My mind incongruously goes to amniocentesis, the dread prenatal test I underwent two decades earlier during my first pregnancy.

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Results showed a clear pattern: children with higher prenatal exposure to the insecticide displayed more pronounced structural and functional brain differences.

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Claims that prenatal exposure to acetaminophen caused autism had emerged as a legal threat earlier this decade, when hundreds of personal-injury lawsuits were filed in federal courts.

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The suit claims that research shows a link between prenatal and early-childhood use of the active ingredient acetaminophen and autism.

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Batchlor said the hospital is also weighing what other service lines to cut, adding that labor and delivery, prenatal care, diabetes and chronic-disease management and student training are under consideration.

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Related Words

• fetal