Pregnancy (latin "graviditas") is the carrying of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, inside the uterus of a female. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets. Human pregnancy is the most studied of all mammalian pregnancies. Obstetrics is the surgical field that studies and cares for high risk pregnancy. Midwifery is the non-surgical field that cares for pregnancy and pregnant women.

Childbirth usually occurs about 38 weeks after conception; i.e., approximately 40 weeks from the last normal menstrual period (LNMP) in humans. The World Health Organization defines normal term for delivery as between 37 weeks and 42 weeks. The calculation of this date involves the assumption of a regular 28-day menstrual cycle.

Dr. Diana Dell, member of Depts. of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and psychiatry at Duke University Durham, N.C says:

"Pregnancy and childbirth should be added to the list of risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder and a diagnostic code for traumatic childbirth should be created.

Every obstetrician and gynecologist has seen patients with posttraumatic stress disorder related to pregnancy and childbirth, but physician recognition of PTSD--in all patients, including women who have had difficult births--is still low. Nonetheless, there is a growing awareness that a difficult childbirth can result in PTSD."

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