Live birth (human)

In human reproduction, a live birth occurs when a fetus exits the mother showing any definite sign of life such as voluntary movement, heartbeat, or pulsation of the umbilical cord, for however brief a time and regardless of whether the umbilical cord or placenta are intact.^[1] After the fetus is expelled from the maternal body it is called a neonate. Whether the birth is vaginal or by caesarean section, and whether the neonate is ultimately viable, is irrelevant.

The definition of the term "live birth" was created by the World Health Organization in 1950, and is chiefly used for public health and statistical purposes. However, the term "live birth" was in common use long before 1950.^[2]

In the United States, the term "born alive" is defined by federal law^[3] known as the born alive rule. Live births are recorded on a U.S. Standard Certificate of Live Birth, also known as a birth certificate.^[4] The United States recorded 3,605,201 live births in 2020 which is a 4% decrease from 2019 and the 6th consecutive year of decline in births.^[5]

Not all pregnancies result in live births. A woman may choose to end her pregnancy by abortion. Miscarriage, also known as spontaneous abortion and pregnancy loss, is the natural death of an embryo or fetus before it is able to survive independently.^[6][7] Some use the cutoff of 20 weeks of gestation, after which fetal death is known as a stillbirth.^[8] The death of the fetus or neonate at the end of the pregnancy, during labour and delivery, or just after birth is counted as perinatal mortality.