Perinatology
A subspecialty of obstetrics concerned with the care of the mother and fetus at higher-than-normal risk for complications. Since the perinatal period, depending on the definition, starts at the 20th to 28th week of gestation and ends 1 to 4 weeks after birth, perinatology logically could be an obstetrical and pediatric subspecialty but, in practice, it is part of obstetrics. The comparable area of pediatrics is neonatology. A high-risk baby might be cared for by a perinatologist before birth and by a neonatologist after birth. The word “perinatology” is a linguistic sandwich of the Greek “peri-” meaning “around or about”, “natal” from the Latin “natus” meaning “born” and “ology” from the Greek “logos” meaning “treatise or study of.”
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- Perineal
Pertaining to the perineum.
- Perineal prostatectomy
An operation to remove the prostate gland through an incision made between the scrotum and the anus.
- Perineum
The area between the anus and the scrotum in the male and between the anus and the vulva (the labial opening to the vagina) in the female. An episiotomy is a surgical procedure to widen the outlet of the birth canal to facilitate delivery of the baby and avoid a jagged rip of the perineum.
- Period, gestation
The period of development of the young from the time of conception until birth. For humans the full gestation period is normally 9 months. The word “gestation” comes from the Latin “gestare” meaning “to carry or to bear.”
- Period, incubation
In medicine, the time from the moment of exposure to an infectious agent until signs and symptoms of the disease appear. For example, the incubation period of chickenpox is 14-16 days. In biology, the incubation period is the time needed for any particular process of development to take place. For example, the length of time […]