Terminologies used in Midwifery

TERMINOLOGY USED IN MIDWIFERY

• Gestation-pregnancy or maternal condition of having a developing fetus in the body.
• Embryo-human conceptus up to the 10th week of gestation (8th week postconception).
• Fetus-human conceptus from 10th week of gestation (8th week postconception) until delivery.
• Viability-capability of living, usually accepted as 24 weeks, although survival is rare.
• Gravida (G)-woman who is or has been pregnant, regardless of pregnancy outcome.
• Nulligravida-woman who is not now and never has been pregnant.
• Primigravida-woman pregnant for the first time.
• Multigravida-woman who has been pregnant more than once.
• Para (P)-refers to past pregnancies that have reached viability.
• Nullipara-woman who has never completed a pregnancy to the period of viability. The woman may or may not have experienced an abortion.
• Primipara-woman who has completed one pregnancy to the period of viability regardless of the number of infants delivered and regardless of the infant being live or stillborn.
• Multipara-woman who has completed two or more pregnancies to the stage of viability.
• Living children-refers to the number of living children a woman has delivered regardless of whether they were live births or stillborn births.

 

GPLAM

In some institutions, a woman's obstetric history can also be summarized as GPLAM.

·         G-represents gravida.

·         P-represents preterm deliveries, 20 to less than 37 completed weeks.

·         L-represents the number of children living. If a child has died, further explanation is needed for clarification.

·         A-represents abortions, elective or spontaneous loss of a pregnancy before the period of viability.

·         M-represents the number of Multiple pregnancy/ Medical Termination of Pregnancy done.

•      A woman who delivered one fetus carried to the period of viability and who is pregnant again is described as Gravida 2, Para 1.

•      A woman with two pregnancies ending in abortions and no viable children is Gravida 2, Para 0.

•      A woman who is pregnant for the first time is a primigravida and is described as Gravida 1 Para 0 (or G1P0).