obstetrics branch of medicine that specializes in the care of women during pregnancy, childbirth and immediately after childbirth.

The term comes from the Latin prejudice, which means to move or opstare, ie to assist and obstetrix, which means the woman who maintains. Until the early 18th century, birth attendants are usually midwives, women who care for women during pregnancy and childbirth. During the 19th century, obstetrics has evolved as a medical specialty. Physicians who specialize in obstetrics are called obstetricians.

Obstetricians

are often also certified in gynecology, to meet a wide range of issues affecting the reproductive system. Obstetricians with special training in high-risk pregnancy are referred to specialists in maternal fetal medicine and perinatology that. Many family physicians provide obstetric and gynecologic surgery in some practices. In addition, midwifery is practiced in many parts of the United States and around the world. Women can choose midwives in areas where physicians are not available or are too expensive, or because they believe in a less medicalized birth.

maternity care begins ideally with advice from a woman who is either planning a pregnancy or at risk of unplanned pregnancy. preconception counseling may include assessment of lifestyle, including topics such as diet, exercise, alcohol or snuff, and how to deal with stress, the recommendation of vitamins, vaccine administration, and general advice on maintenance a healthy lifestyle. During pregnancy a woman can take eight to ten or more visits to your obstetrician, in which the tests are carried out, such as blood used in the preparation of blood transfusion and to determine if there is incompatibility between the mother and the baby’s blood and infectious diseases. specialized tests to monitor the health of the fetus can be recommended, including ultrasound to visualize the fetus, and genetic testing to determine the risk of genetic diseases such as Down syndrome.

A midwife assists the woman during childbirth and are trained to treat any complications that could endanger the mother and fetus. Complications can include premature rupture of membranes, which breaks the bag of water but the work does not begin spontaneously, the lack of progress, in which the work began, but the woman’s neck, the small body that connects the uterus and vagina, can not expand or dilate properly or breech presentation, in which the fetus is oriented feet first into the birth canal instead of a head. Obstetricians perform cesarean sections, in which the fetus is removed through an abdominal incision, and also operated the birth canal damage that may occur during delivery. the immediate attention of the mother for several weeks after birth is generally considered part of obstetric practice. Once the baby is born, it is responsible may be assumed by a pediatrician (seePediatrics), a specialist in child care.

Obstetricians complete four years of medical school followed by four or more years of training in primary care and training in obstetrics and gynecology. After completing an approved training course and a period of practice, obstetricians may take an examination for board certification, a recognition nationally recognized expertise in the field. In addition, physicians specializing in the planning of gynecological cancer, infertility, or can perform reconstructive surgery two to three years of additional training to receive certification by the board as a sub-specialty in particular.

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