A
live birth occurs when a
fetusA fetus is a developing mammal or other viviparous vertebrate after the embryonic stage and before birth. The plural is fetuses....
, whatever its
gestational ageGestational age is the age of an embryo or fetus . In humans, a common method of calculating gestational age starts counting either from the first day of the woman's last menstrual period or from 14 days before conception . Counting from the first day of the LMP involves the assumption that...
, exits the maternal body and subsequently shows any sign of life, such as voluntary movement,
heartbeatCardiac cycle is the term referring to all or any of the events related to the flow or blood pressure that occurs from the beginning of one heartbeat to the beginning of the next. The frequency of the cardiac cycle is the heart rate...
, or pulsation of the
umbilical cordIn placental mammals, the umbilical cord is the connecting cord from the developing embryo or fetus to the placenta...
, for however brief a time and regardless of whether the umbilical cord or
placentaThe placenta is an organ unique to mammals that connects the developing fetus to the uterine wall. The placenta supplies the fetus with oxygen and food, and allows fetal waste to be disposed of via the maternal kidneys...
are intact.
This definition of the term "live birth" was created by the
World Health OrganizationThe World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health...
in 1950 and is chiefly used for public health and
statisticalStatistics is a branch of mathematics concerned with collecting and interpreting data. According to other definitions, it is a mathematical science pertaining to the collection, analysis, interpretation or explanation, and presentation of data. Statisticians improve the quality of data with the...
purposes.
Discussion
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A
live birth occurs when a
fetusA fetus is a developing mammal or other viviparous vertebrate after the embryonic stage and before birth. The plural is fetuses....
, whatever its
gestational ageGestational age is the age of an embryo or fetus . In humans, a common method of calculating gestational age starts counting either from the first day of the woman's last menstrual period or from 14 days before conception . Counting from the first day of the LMP involves the assumption that...
, exits the maternal body and subsequently shows any sign of life, such as voluntary movement,
heartbeatCardiac cycle is the term referring to all or any of the events related to the flow or blood pressure that occurs from the beginning of one heartbeat to the beginning of the next. The frequency of the cardiac cycle is the heart rate...
, or pulsation of the
umbilical cordIn placental mammals, the umbilical cord is the connecting cord from the developing embryo or fetus to the placenta...
, for however brief a time and regardless of whether the umbilical cord or
placentaThe placenta is an organ unique to mammals that connects the developing fetus to the uterine wall. The placenta supplies the fetus with oxygen and food, and allows fetal waste to be disposed of via the maternal kidneys...
are intact.
This definition of the term "live birth" was created by the
World Health OrganizationThe World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health...
in 1950 and is chiefly used for public health and
statisticalStatistics is a branch of mathematics concerned with collecting and interpreting data. According to other definitions, it is a mathematical science pertaining to the collection, analysis, interpretation or explanation, and presentation of data. Statisticians improve the quality of data with the...
purposes. Whether the
birthChildbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with birth of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus...
is
vaginaThe vagina is a fibromuscular tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles. Female insects and other invertebrates also have a vagina, which is the terminal part of the...
l or by
Caesarean sectionA Caesarean section , also known as C-section or Caesar, is a surgical procedure in which incisions are made through a mother's abdomen and uterus to deliver one or more babies...
, and whether the neonate is ultimately viable, is not relevant to this statistical definition. However, the term "live birth" was in common use long before 1950.
In the United States, the term "born alive" is defined by federal statute.
See also
- Childbirth
Childbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with birth of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus...
- Perinatal death
- Stillbirth
A stillbirth occurs when a fetus which has died, in the uterus or during labor or delivery, exits a woman's body. The term is often used in distinction to live birth or miscarriage. Most stillbirths occur in full term pregnancies....
- Intrapartum death
- Neonatal death
- Sudden infant death syndrome
Sudden infant death syndrome or crib death is a syndrome marked by the sudden death of an infant that is unexpected by history and remains unexplained after a thorough forensic autopsy and a detailed death scene investigation...
- Abortion
An abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo. An abortion can occur spontaneously due to complications during pregnancy or can be induced, in humans and other species...
- Elective abortion
- Anomalous pregnancy
- Ectopic pregnancy
An ectopic pregnancy is a complication of pregnancy in which the fertilized ovum is developed in any tissue other than the uterine wall. Most ectopic pregnancies occur in the Fallopian tube , but implantation can also occur in the cervix, ovaries, and abdomen...
- Molar pregnancy
- Spontaneous abortion
- Maternal death
Maternal death, or maternal mortality, also "obstetrical death" is the death of a woman during or shortly after a pregnancy. In 2000, the United Nations estimated global maternal mortality at 529,000, of which less than 1% occurred in the developed world...
- Born alive rule
The "born alive" rule is a legal principle that holds that various aspects of the criminal law, such as the statutes relating to homicide and to assault, apply only to a child that is "born alive"...
External links
- Fossil reveals oldest live birth BBC News
BBC News, formerly BBC News and Current Affairs, is the department within the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the corporation's news-gathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online....
28 May 2008