The branch of medicine that deals with pregnancy, childbirth, and caring for women around the time they give birth.
From Latin "obstetrix" meaning "midwife," based on "obstare" (to stand before). The medical field took its name from the traditional helper who stood before the mother in labor.
Obstetrics is one of the oldest medical specialties, because humans have always needed help with birth. Modern obstetrics blends ancient hands-on skills with high-tech tools like ultrasounds and fetal monitors.
Obstetrics developed as a male-dominated medical specialty that often supplanted women-led midwifery traditions, especially in Europe and North America from the 18th century onward. This transition was intertwined with control over women’s bodies and reproductive decision‑making.
Use terms like “pregnant person” or “patients receiving obstetric care” when gender is not medically or personally specified, while respecting individuals’ stated identities (e.g., “pregnant women” when they identify as such).
["perinatal care","maternity care","pregnancy care"]
When describing the development of obstetrics, credit women midwives, nurses, and researchers whose contributions to safer childbirth and reproductive health have often been under-recognized in formal histories.
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