Contents
Perinatology is a branch of medicine dealing with a variety of issues and problems related to the provision of perinatal care. The term perinatology is a combination of terms of Greek and Latin origin, signifying the science of birth. The perinatal period covers three consecutive periods in the life of a woman and her child: pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum / infancy period.
Perinatology draws from various fields of medical knowledge: obstetrics, neonatology, genetics, surgery, pediatric cardiology and other specializations. An important part of perinatological knowledge is the diagnosis and pathology of diseases typical of pregnant women and humans in the period of their fetal development and the first moments of life. Currently, perinatology is becoming an increasingly popular medical specialization. A frequently used term of perinatology is the term maternal-fetal medicine, emphasizing the fact that the subject of interest in this branch of medicine is both the pregnant mother and her child to be born.
Perinatology specialists should have knowledge of, among others: performing obstetric ultrasound, performing invasive perinatal diagnosis using various devices and techniques, treating high-risk pregnancies, diagnosis and perinatal therapy of the fetus, open fetal surgery.
Caring for a young mother and her child
The goal of perinatology is to develop a set of activities that would provide optimal care to women planning the birth of a child and their offspring, as well as counteract the development of defects, diseases and damage. There are several main goals of activities in the field of perinatology:
- lowering the mortality rate of newborns,
- lowering the mortality rate of pregnant women,
- reducing the frequency of premature births (so-called premature babies),
- ensuring that all patients (pregnant women and their developing children) have access to medical care.
History of perinatology
Perinatology, as a separate branch of medical knowledge, began to develop in the 60s. The significant technological and research advances in medicine that took place at that time allowed for the systematic gathering of a large amount of knowledge devoted to childbirth complications and the development of human life in the prenatal period. Until now, doctors in charge of pregnancy relied primarily on examining the heart rate and observing the baby’s movements in the fetal period. The use of new technologies has significantly improved the diagnostic capabilities of medicine in this area.
The first samples of fetal blood began to be collected in the early 60s. At the end of the same decade, ultrasound equipment began to be used in the examination of pregnant women. This allowed for a significant reduction in the infant mortality rate, regardless of the cause. The mortality rate from complications during pregnancy fell by 23% between 1990 and 2013.
The first International Congress of Perinatal Medicine was held in 1991. During it, the World Association of Perinatal Medicine was founded, the first international institution dedicated to the development and promotion of perinatological knowledge. Currently, it is one of the fastest growing fields of medical knowledge. Research in the field of gene heredity, stem cell therapy, and the possibility of carrying out open fetal surgery for diagnostic or surgical purposes is developing particularly dynamically.
Activities used in perinatology
Perinatology is an extensive field of knowledge, therefore its repertoire includes a set of various activities and therapeutic activities. They can be divided into several general groups:
- care for pregnant women suffering from ailments due to chronic diseases (heart disease, kidney disease, hypertension, diabetes and others),
- care for pregnant women, the course of which is at risk of complications (e.g. premature birth, pre-eclampsia),
- care for pregnant women in which the life of the fetus is at risk (e.g. due to chromosomal or congenital disorders, maternal diseases, infections, developmental disorders, mechanical injuries).
In addition, perinatology clinics help women who are just trying to get pregnant, if they have problems with it.