Perinatal mortality, defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as late fetal deaths at 28 completed weeks of gestation or more and early neonatal deaths under age 7 days, can be an indicator of the quality of health care before, during, and after delivery (National Center for Health Statistics). Some of the leading causes of infant death in the United States include birth defects, prematurity/low birthweight, sudden infant death syndrome, maternal complications of pregnancy and respiratory distress syndrome (March of Dimes).  

Considerations for Equitable Approaches: While there has been some decrease in the perinatal mortality, there are disparities by maternal age (i.e., age of the pregnant person), race, and ethnicity. By maternal age, perinatal mortality rates are highest among infants born to people 40 and older and under age 20 compared to all ages. By race, Black infants have higher rates of perinatal mortality compared to all racial groups (March of Dimes).   

Inclusive Language Recommendations: As not all people who are pregnant identify as women, recommendations for more gender-inclusive language include using "pregnant people" and "pregnant patients" or other wording as applicable when referring to general recommendations for pregnancy (National Institutes of Health).