What does obstetrics mean?
Obstetrics is the branch of medicine concerned with pregnancy, childbirth, and the medical care of mothers and fetuses. It includes prenatal care, monitoring the progress of pregnancy, managing complications, assisting delivery, and providing care immediately after birth. The term is commonly paired with gynecology in the name of a medical department, since the two specialties often work together, although obstetrics is specifically concerned with pregnancy and childbirth. Specialists in the field are called obstetricians. In everyday conversation, people may use the word as a label for a hospital department or service, as in “she works in obstetrics.” The term is professional and clinical rather than conversational, and it is distinct from midwifery, although the fields overlap closely and midwives may work within maternity services.
nounThe branch of medicine concerned with pregnancy, childbirth, and the care of the mother and fetus before and during birth.
- The medical branch dealing with pregnancy, childbirth, and the care of women and fetuses during these processes.
"She is a specialist in obstetrics and has delivered more than two thousand babies."
"The hospital's obstetrics unit provides prenatal care and specialist delivery services."
"A career in obstetrics often involves long shifts and considerable clinical responsibility."
The same form is used in the plural, though in modern medical usage obstetrics is normally treated as an uncountable name for the field.
"The lecture covered high-risk obstetrics and maternal-fetal medicine."
The word obstetrics literally comes from the Latin for “midwife,” reflecting a long history in which birth attendants were among the first practitioners of specialized medical care.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does obstetrics come from?
Obstetrics comes from the Latin obstetricia, meaning “the art of aiding childbirth.” This was derived from obstetrix, a female practitioner who assisted with delivery; the Latin word is commonly related to ob- and stare, conveying the idea of standing by or attending to. The English medical term developed through the broader adoption of Latin terminology in Renaissance and later medicine.
Related word forms
How obstetrics is actually used
In medicine, obstetrics is normally treated as an uncountable discipline. It is distinct from gynecology, although the two fields are commonly practiced together.