WH Definitions Flashcards
Nullipara
a woman who has never been pregnant beyond 20 weeks gestation
Gravid
the number of pregnancies, regardless of outcome
Para / parity
the number of babies born >20 weeks gestation
Gx Px
Gx = the number of times a woman has been pregnant Px = the number of babies born to a woman >20 weeks g estation
Abortion / miscarriage
loss of a pregnancy at less than 20 weeks gestation
Labour
regular paunful uterine contractions associated with cervical changes (effacement, dilation…) > 20 weeks gestation
Preterm labour
labour at less than 37weeks gestation
Lower uterine segment casarean section
operative delivery of a baby via a transverse incision through the lower segment of the uterus
Classical caesarean section
operative delivery of a baby through a vertical incision in the upper uterine segment
Hysterotomy
operative delivery of a baby
PROM
prelabour rupture of membranes
rupture of membranes prior to the onset of labour
Premature prelabour rupture of membranes (PPROM)
prelabour rupture of membranes at less than 37 weeks gestation
ARM/AROM
artificial rupture of membranes
SPROM
spontaneous rupture of membranes
Braxton Hicks contractions
painless uterine contractions in the antenatal period
Naegles rule
can estimate the period of confinement by 9mo + 7wks after a woman’s LMP
*needs to be adjusted for women whose cycles are not 28days
First stage of labour
from onset of labour –> full cervical dilation
Second stage of labour
from full cervical dilation –> delivery of baby
Third stage of labour
from delivery of baby –> delivery of placenta + membranes
Spurious / false labour
+/- regular and/or painful uterine contractions not associated with any cervical changes (dilation, effacement…)
Oxytocic
agents stimulating uterine contraction
Tocolytic
agents halting uterine contractions
Induction of labour
process of causing labour to commence
Augmentation of labour
enhancing/stimulating labour that has already started
Placenta praevia
placenta is covering the internal cervical os in late second/third trimester of pregnancy
Vasa praevia
foetal vessels lying in the membrnaes in front of the presenting part
Antepartum haemorrhage
bleeding >5mL from the vagina >20wks gestation
Abruption
placenta comes away from the uterine wall in the antenatal / intrapartum period
PPH
postpartum haehmorrhage
loss of >500mL of blood
Seondary PPH
postpartum haemorrhage
loss of >500mL of blood >24h following delivery
Placenta accreta
placenta invades the myometrium
Uterine atony
abnormal relaxation of the uterus following delivery – usually results in bleeding
Isoimmunisation
blood group antibodies cross the placenta –> haemolysis of foetal blood cells
Ab include:
- D
- c
- K (kell)
- Kidd
- Duffy
- etc…
CTG
cardiotocograph
Neonatal death
death 20weeks gestation / >400g birthweight (if gestation is unknown)
Stillbirth
infant who shows no signs of life at birth >20 weeks gestation / >400g birthweight (if gestation is unknown)
Perinatal mortality rate
stillbirths / neonatal deaths per 1000 birthds
Maternal death
death of a woman while pregnant (regardless of gestational age) or
Maternal mortality rate
maternal deaths per 100,000 live births
Infant death
death of a baby >28 days,
Station
level of descent of the presenting part relative to the pelvic brim / symthesis on abdominal palpation / to the ischial spines on vaginal examination
Lie
relationship between the long axis of the foestus + uterus
longitudinal, oblique, transverse
Position
relationship of a defined area of the presenting part (DENOMINATOR) to the mother’s pelvis
e. g. in cephalic presentation, denominator = occiput –> OA (occipito-anterio), OP (posterior), L/ROT (left/right transverse)
e. g. in breech the denominator is the sacrum (SA, SP, L/RST)
Presentation
the part of the foetus presenting (e.g. vertex, breech)
Asynclitism
side to side tilt of foetal head
Caput
oedema from obstructed venous return in foetal scalp during pregnancy (due to pressure of head against cervic)
Cervical incompetence
painless dilation of cervix >20weeks gestation resulting in preterm labour
cord prolapse
cord is alongside / below the presenting part in the presence of ruptured membranes
episiotomy
surgical incision of perineum during second stage of labour
Third degree tear
perineal trauma including
- vaginal mucosa
- perineal muscles
- external anal sphincter
second degree tear
perineal trauma including
- vaginal mucosa
- perineal muscles
Lochia
vaginal discharge during peuperium
puerperium
period (usually ~6weeks following delivery) where maternal reproductive organs return to original pre-pregnant size
quickening
maternal impression of foetal movement
restitution
rotation of foetal head after delivery to align with the back + shoulders
Show
vaginal discharge of blood + mucus in early labour / the days preceding labour
Phototherapy
use of standard fluorescent white light / blue light to photoisomerise bilirubin to allow its excretion
exchange transfusion
blood is removed + replaced with donor blood to treat severe newborn pathological jaundice
(removes bili + antibodies causing haemolysis + jaundice)
low birthweight baby
BW
very low birthweight baby
BW
Neonatal respiratory distress
tachypnoea, increased WOB, noisy breathing, and cyanosis in the neonatal period
Caesarean hysterectomy
laparotomy where contents of the gravid uterus are delivered + the uterus is excised
(e.g. due to placenta accreta)
perimortem CS
C-section performed on a moribund/dead woman with the view to preserving her life
abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB)
disturbed menstrual bleeding including bleeding that is abnormally heavy / timed
primary amenorrhoea
no onset periods
secondary amenorrhea
absence of periods for >6 month period
intermenstrual bleeding
bleeding between normally-timed menstrual periods (random / following cyclic pattern)
irregular menstrual bleeding
unpredictable onset of menstrual periods with cycle variation >20 days over a period of >1y
prolonged menstrual bleeding
menstruation >8days
Acute AUB
abnormal uterine bleeding
episode of heavy bleeding that is sufficiently heavy (in clinician’s opinion) to warrant treatment to prevent further blood loss
chronic AUB
abnormal uterine bleeding
bleeding from uterine corpus that is abnormal in volume, duration +/ frequency + has been present for most of the past 6mo
Heavy menstrual bleeding
excessive menstrual blood loss blood loss that interferes with woman’s physical, social, emotional, or materal QOL
n.b. definition includes excessive as per the patient
Dysmenorrhea
pain during menstruation
Dyspareunia
pain during sexual intercourse
Cervical excitation
pain during movement of the cervix during vaginal examination
Cervical ectropion
endocervical columnar epithelium protrudes through external cervical os –> into the vaginal portion of the cervix
infertility
failure of a couple to conceive after 1y of trying
endometriosis
presence of endometrium outside of the uterus (usually pelvic/peritoneal surfaces)
adenomyosis
presence of endometrium in the myometrium
PID
inflammation of
- uterus
- fallopian tubes
- pelvis
menopause
final menstrual period
premature menopaise
menopause at less than 40yo
climacteric / perimenopause
period of decline in ovarian function + onset of menopausal symptoms
post menopause
time following menopuase
Lactational amenorrhoea
effective contraception when a woman is fully breastfeeding a baby
oligohydramnios
reduced amniotic fluid
polyhydramnios
increased amniotic fluid
pre-eclampsia
HTN + proteinuria during pregnancy
eclampsia
a seizure in the setting of pre-eclampsia (HTN + Proteinuria during pregnancy)
amniocentesis
sampling of amniotic fluid via a needle through the woman’s abdominal wall
CVS (chorionic villus sampling)
sampling of the chorion (placenta) using a US-guided needle
retain placenta
placenta still in utero 1h+ after delivery of the baby
precipitate labour
labour of less than 4h duration
shoulder dystocia
difficulty delivery the shoulder after delivery of the head
