ZYGOTE
A product of conception in the first 8 days following fertilization.
 

EMBRYO
The next stage in human development through 8 weeks gestational age.   

FETUS
The next stage in the development of a human embryo, commencing 8 weeks after conception and continuing through week 27 of gestational age, during which time all of the essential organs, limbs and brain are formed.  

VIANATE
A fully developed fetus in the third trimester of gestation, which is capable of supported life and continuing growth to maturity outside the womb.
 

NEONATE
A baby in the first month of life following birth.
 

INFANT
A baby in the first year of life.
 

Search all you want but you won’t find the term “vianate” in Webster’s, or anywhere else for that matter except on this website. That’s because it was “coined” by The National Stillbirth Society to differentiate between viable and non-viable fetuses. To call an 8 pound 41 week baby that is stillborn a fetus is absurd. Hundreds of new words enter our language every year as we and our society evolve. The need for this new word is long overdue.

The medical community still uses the term “fetus” to describe the entire continuum of developmental growth of a human embryo, from the time it’s no bigger than a lima bean, until it is delivered and takes its first breath, a period of some 30 weeks, during which time phenomenal changes occur within the womb as the embryo grows to 1000 times its size.  And yet this same medical community recognizes three distinct stages of development that span the first 8 weeks of development: zygote, embryo, and fetus.

The National Stillbirth Society believes that once a developing fetus attains viability in the womb it is sufficiently different from a non-viable fetus to warrant recognition of that transition. Henceforth we will always use the term “vianate” to describe fetuses, which, with proper medical care, are capable of survival and growth outside the womb.

There is no “bright line” as to when this transition occurs. Some fetuses as early as 22 weeks and a few days have survived, while others 25 and 26 weeks haven’t. Since every added week beyond 22 weeks enhances the odds of survival, and to avoid any debate that might result from our drawing the line too optimistically, we have chosen the onset of the third trimester as the dividing line, beyond which viability is practically assured for a healthy fetus.  Therefore, we refer to all third trimester fetuses as “vianates”.

The term vianate is a medical definition. In our hearts, however, they are neither fetuses nor vianates. They are - and always will be - our babies. 

Last Updated 07/20/2006     Design donated by Web-Writer