Prenatal

Occurring or existing before birth. Prenatal care is the regular health care women should receive during pregnancy from an obstetrician or midwife. Prenatal development is the growth and development of a single-celled zygote formed by the combination of a sperm and an egg into a baby. Prenatal diagnosis is diagnosis before birth by techniques such as ultrasound, chorionic villus sampling (CVS), and amniocentesis. The word "prenatal" comes from the Latin "pre-," before + "(g)natus," birth = before birth. "Antenatal" is often used in lieu of "prenatal" in the UK, Australia, etc.

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Preceding birth. SYN: antenatal. [pre- + L. natus, born]

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pre·na·tal -'nāt-əl adj

1) occurring, existing, performed, or used before birth <\prenatal care> <the \prenatal period> <\prenatal testing> <\prenatal vitamins>

2) providing or receiving prenatal medical care <a \prenatal clinic> <a \prenatal patient> compare INTRANATAL, NEONATAL, POSTNATAL

pre·na·tal·ly -ē adv

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pre·na·tal (pre-naґtəl) [pre- + natal] existing or occurring before birth, with reference to the fetus. Cf. antepartal.