Today, more individuals die within a few hours of birth than during the following 40 years. It is therefore not surprising that the perinatal mortality rate, which is the number of deaths of the FETUS or newborn from the 28th week of pregnancy to the end of the first week of life per 1,000 total births, is a valuable indicator of the quality of care provided for mothers and babies. In 2006, the perinatal mortality rate was 6.6 in England & Wales, compared with 11.94 in 1981and more than 30 in the early 1960s.

The most common cause of perinatal death is some abnormality or complication involving the placenta or umbilical cord. The next most common group is congenital abnormality, intrauterine and peripartum (around the time of delivery) HYPOXIA is the third most common cause. Very premature babies have the highest mortality rate: thus, in England in 2006, only 3 out of 478 fetuses born at 22 weeks survived to hospital discharge; but 178 out of 636 born at 24 weeks and about 75% of those born at 26 weeks gestation.