Introduction: intraventricular hemorrhage is the main neurological complication of preterm newborns. Its frequency and severity increase as gestational age and weight at birth decrease. Other factors have been described that may influence its incidence. Objective: to determine the incidence of intraventricular hemorrhage at the Neonatal Care Unit of the Hospital Universitario San Vicente de Paul, in Medellin, Colombia, from 1999 to 2004, and to establish its association with maternal and newborn conditions. Results: an incidence of HIV of 29.8% was found. Cesarean section, labor in a third level attention center and pulmonary maturation were found to be protective factors. On the other hand, the incidence of HIV increased with the following circumstances: vaginal labor, gestational age under 28 weeks, use of surfactant, mechanical ventilation, acidosis, hypercapnia and umbilical catheterism. Conclusions: prenatal programs have to be reinforced in order to avoid preterm labor; high risk pregnant women ought to be opportunely referred to specialized centers; the antenatal use of steroids is to be encouraged and careful management of ventilatory parameters avoiding acidosis is mandatory.