Terms Flashcards
Nullipara
Woman who has never been pregnant beyond 20 wks gestation
Gravid
Number of pregnancies regardless of outcome
Para/parity
Number of babies born after 20 wks gestation
Grand multipara
Woman who has delivered 5 or more babies older than 20 wks gestation
Miscarriage
Pregnancy loss before 20 wks gestation
Labour
Regular painful contractions with cervical change that occurs after 20 wks gestation
Lower uterine segment caesarian section
Operative delivery of the baby through a transverse incision in the lower uterine segment
Classical caesarian section
Operative delivery of the baby through a vertical incision in the upper uterine segment
Hysterotomy
Surgical incision of the uterus, often used to describe abdominal evacuation of a gravid uterus
Preterm labour
Labour that occurs at less than 37wks gestation
Prelabour rupture of membranes (PROM)
Rupture of the membranes before onset of labour
Premature prelabour rupture of membranes (PPROM)
Rupture of the membranes before labour at less than 37 wks gestation
ARM/AROM
Artificial rupture of the membranes
SROM
Spontaneous rupture of the membranes
Braxton Hicks contractions
Irregular, sporadic, unpredictable uterine contractions in the antenatal period
Naegles rule
To estimate the probable date of confinement, add 9 months and 7 days to the first day of the last menstrual period based on a 28 day menstrual cycle
First stage of labour
From the start of labour until full dilatation of the cervix
Second stage of labour
From full dilatation of the cervix until birth of the baby
Third stage of labour
From the birth of the baby until the delivery of the placenta and membranes
Spurious or false labour
Uterine contractions which may be regular and/or painful but are not associated with cervical effacement and dilatation
Oxytocic
Medication that stimulates contractions of the uterine muscle
Tocolytic
Medication that inhibits uterine contractions
Induction of labour
The process of causing labour to commence
Augmentation of labour
The process of stimulating a labour that has already started
Placenta praevia
An obstetric complication in which the placenta partially or completely covers the internal cervical os
Vasa praevia
An obstetric complication in which foetal blood vessels are unprotected by placental tissue or umbilical cord
Antepartum haemorrhage
Bleeding >5 mL from the vagina after 20 wks gestation
Abruption
Separation of the placenta from the uterus in the antenatal or intrapartum period
Postpartum haemorrhage
Vaginal bleeding of >500 mL in the first 24 hrs after delivery
Secondary postpartum haemorrhage
Vaginal bleeding >500 mL more than 24hrs after delivery
Placenta accreta
An obstetric complication in which the placenta invades more deeply than normally into the myometrium and carries a risk of serious haemorrhage
Uterine atony
Failure of the uterus to contract following delivery which can result in postpartum haemorrhage
Isoimmunisation
Maternal blood group Ab that cross the placenta resulting in foetal RBC haemolysis (Ab: D, c, Kell, Kidd, Duffy, etc)
CTG
Cardiotocography is a technical means of recording foetal heartbeat and uterine contractions during pregnancy
Neonatal death
A liveborn infant of at least 20 wks gestation or weight >400g if unknown gestation, who dies within 28 days of birth
Stillbirth
An infant born after 20 wks gestation or weighs >400g if unknown gestation, who did not show any signs of life after birth
Perinatal mortality rate
The number of stillbirths and neonatal deaths per 1000 births
Maternal death
Death of a pregnant women regardless of gestation or death within 42 days of the conclusion of pregnancy regardless of cause or gestation at delivery
Maternal mortality rate
Number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births
Infant death
Death of an infant between 29 days and 1 yr of life
Station
The level of the presenting part relative to maternal pubic symphysis on abdominal palpation or to the ischial spines on vaginal examination
Lie
The long axis of the foetus in relation to the long axis of the uterus (e.g. longitudinal, oblique, transverse)
Position
The relationship between a given bony landmark of the presenting part (‘denominator’) to the left or right of the mother’s anterior/posterior/transverse pelvis
Presentation
The portion of the foetal body that is foremost within the pelvic brim or in closest proximity to it.
If the presenting part is the foetal head, it is a cephalic presentation.
If the presenting part is the butt, it is a breech presentation.
If the foetal lie is transverse then the shoulder is the presenting part.
Asynclitism
The posture in which one parietal bone is at a lower level than the other due to lateral inclination of the head (side-to-side tilt of the head)
Caput
Oedema of the foetal scalp caused by pressure of its head by the cervix, obstructing venous return
Cervical incompetence
Painless cervical dilatation in the 2nd trimester causing preterm labour
Cord prolapse
Umbilical cord passes through the cervix before or at the same time as the foetal presenting part
Episiotomy
Surgical incision of the perineum during the second stage of labour
Third degree tear
Perineal trauma involving the vaginal mucous, perineal muscles and external anal sphincter
Second degree tear
Perineal trauma involving the vaginal mucosa and perineal muscles
Lochia
Vaginal discharge during the puerperium
Oligohydramnios
Reduced amniotic fluid
Polyhydramnios
Excess amniotic fluid
Pre-eclampsia
Hypertension, proteinuria and multi-organ dysfunction in the setting of pregnancy
Eclampsia
Seizure in the setting of pre-eclampsia
Amniocentesis
Sampling of amniotic fluid using a needle through the abdominal wall of the mother
Chorionic villus sampling
Sampling of the placenta using a needle under U/S guidance
External cephalic version
Turning a breech baby to cephalic presentation through the maternal abdominal wall
Retained placenta
Lack of expulsion of the placenta within 30 min of delivery of the baby
Precipitate labour
Labour lasting less than 4 hrs
Shoulder dystocia
Difficulty delivering the shoulders after delivery of the foetal head/vertex, requiring additional maneuvers to deliver the foetus after normal gentle downward traction has failed.
Puerperium
The 6 wks following delivery
Quickening
Maternal perception of foetal movements
Restitution
Rotation of the foetal head after delivery to align with the back and shoulders
Show
Discharge of blood and mucous from the vagina in early labour or the days preceding labour
Phototherapy
Use of standard fluorescent white light or blue light therapy to photoisomerise bilirubin to allow for its excretion
Exchange transfusion
Procedure to treat severe newborn pathological jaundice in which blood is removed and replaced with donor blood. This removes the bilirubin and also the Ab that caused haemolysis and jaundice
Low birthweight
Very low birthweight
Neonatal respiratory distress
Tachypnoea, increased work of breathing, noisy breathing and central cyanosis
Caesarean hysterectomy
Laparotomy at which the contents of the gravid uterus are delivered then the uterus is excised (e.g. due to placenta accreta)
Perimortem CS
Caesarean performed either during maternal cardiac arrest or during impending maternal cardiac arrest to increase the chance of successfully resuscitating the mother and improving foetal survival
Abnormal uterine bleeding
Term to describe disturbed menstrual bleeding which includes abnormally heavy bleeding or abnormal timing
Primary amenorrhoea
Absence of periods ever
Secondary amenorrhoea
Absence of periods for a 6 month period
Intermenstrual bleeding
Bleeding episodes between normally timed menstrual periods that are either random or follow a cyclical pattern
Irregular menstrual bleeding
Unpredictable onset of menses with cycle variations of more than 20 days over a period of 1 yr
Prolonged menstrual bleeding
Menstrual bleeding lasting more than 8 days on a regular basis
Acute AUB
An episode of heavy bleeding that is sufficiently heavy to require immediate treatment to prevent further blood loss
Chronic AUB
Bleeding from the uterine corpus that is abnormal in volume, duration and/or frequency and has been present for most of the past 6 months
Heavy menstrual bleeding
Excessive menstrual blood loss (regardless of regularity, frequency, or duration) that interferes with a woman’s physical, emotional, social and maternal QOL, occurring alone or with other sx
Dysmenorrhoea
Pelvic pain during menstruation
Dyspareunia
Pain with sexual intercourse
Cervical excitation
Pain felt by the woman when her cervix is moved during vaginal examination which usually indicates pelvic pathology
Cervical ectropion
Endocervical columnar epithelium which protrudes through the cervical external os and onto the vaginal portion of the cervix
Infertility
Failure of a couple to conceive in 1 yr
Endometriosis
Occurrence of endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterus
Adenomyosis
Occurrence of endometrial glands and stroma within the myometrium
PID
Infection of the uterus, fallopian tubes or pelvis
Menopause
Final menstrual period - official definition: absence of menstrual periods for 12 months
Premature menopause
Menopause occurring before 40 yo
Climacteric/perimenopause
Period of time when ovarian function declines and menopausal symptoms appear
Post menopause
Time after menopause
Lactational amenorrhoea method
Effective contraception provided when a woman fully breast feeds a baby less than 6 mo and has no return of menses
