obstetrics

noun

ob·​stet·​rics əb-ˈste-triks 

äb-

plural in form but singular or plural in construction

: a branch of medical science that deals with pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period

Examples of obstetrics in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Even so, the reduction shouldn’t be cause for public health professionals and policymakers to let their guards down as the gap is still wide, said Dr. Andrea Jackson, division chief of obstetrics and gynecology at University of Southern California. —Nada Hassanein, USA TODAY, 13 Jan. 2023

This change is a pretty big deal, according to Lauren Streicher, MD, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. —Korin Miller, SELF, 5 Jan. 2023

Rural communities in huge swaths of the country don’t have an obstetrician-gynecologist, said Charlotte M. Lee, a resident in the obstetrics and gynecology program at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. —Akilah Johnson, Anchorage Daily News, 19 Nov. 2022

The practice, also known as vaginal seeding, isn’t currently recommended by major obstetrics and gynecology societies outside of research studies because of the risk of infection. —Sarah Toy, WSJ, 12 Mar. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1816, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for obstetrics

• biometrics
• psychometrics
• econometrics
• metrics

Kids Definition

obstetrics

noun

ob·​stet·​rics əb-ˈste-triks 

äb-

: a branch of medical science that deals with childbirth and with the care of women before, during, and after childbirth

Medical Definition

obstetrics

noun, plural in form but singular or plural in construction

ob·​stet·​rics əb-ˈste-triks, äb- 

: a branch of medical science that deals with birth and with its antecedents and sequelae