Prenatal factors affecting perinatal mortality in blacks.

A study of 222 black mothers who gave birth to low-birth-weight infants in a tertiary care center showed that prenatal care plays a significant role in perinatal outcome; the effect of prenatal care was especially dramatic in the infants weighting less than 1,500 grams. In addition, maternal age is an important factor when less than 17 years. When a teenage pregnancy is associated with a lack of, or irregular, prenatal care, fetal outcome is compromised.