The authors of this book have undertaken a ten year review of care given and received during pregnancy and childbirth, and its effects. They systematically analyzed the evidence produced by more than 3000 of the best clinical research studies, and classified the elements of care as effective, promising, not proven either way or not worth using. This has resulted in a continuously updated electronic database, "The Oxford Database of Perinatal Trials", and in a 1500-page book, "Effective Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth". All the main findings and conclusions of these recent publications are summarized in this shorter book, which is presented in an accessible format for non-medical readers.