The number of pregnant women uncovered by medical insurance is increasing in the maternity of Saint-Pierre Hospital (44% increase over a 3 year period). During the academic year 92-93, this situation was present in 9.8% of the mothers; 98% of these patients were foreigners. The majority of pregnancies were not or poorly followed. Admissions occurred very often in emergency situations. The lack of prenatal care in this population with a very low socio-economic level led to a six-fold increase in perinatal mortality after exclusion of congenital malformations (58.4% versus 8.7%). This high mortality rate was mainly due to extreme prematurity (birthweight between 500 and 1500 g).