UK Pregnancy - terms and abbreviations

Supporting you through pregnancy and the early stages of motherhood

Terms and abbreviations

Understanding terms and abbreviations

Throughout your pregnancy you will attend various antenatal appointments both with your GP and at the hospital, at the first appointment you will be given your hospital notes and it is your responsibility to take these to every appointment with you so that the doctors and midwives can record on them the details of the routine tests and the progress of your pregnancy. If you travel out of your area it is a good idea to have your notes with you in case you need medical attention, all your information will be at hand.

These notes are written mostly in abbreviations to keep them neat and precise which works well for the medical staff who understand them but it is important that you understand them too so here is a list of the most common abbreviations and their meanings along with some other medical terms that you might come across during your pregnancy:

	AFP
•	Alphafetoprotein. This is a substance present in the blood of pregnant women.

	ALB
•	Albumin. This is a protein substance; your urine will be tested for this as it can be a sign of pre-eclampsia.

	A/N
•	Antenatal

	APH
•	Antepartum Haemorrhage. Bleeding before the birth.

	BI
•	Blood

	BP
•	Blood Pressure

	BR
•	Breech presentation. The baby is lying feet or bottom down.

	Ceph
•	Cephalic. The baby is lying head down.

	CS
•	Caesarean section

	CTG
•	Baby's heartbeat tracing

	Cx
•	Cervix. Neck of the womb.

	EDD
•	Estimated Date of Delivery

	EFW
•	Estimated Fetal Weight

	Eng
•	Engaged. The largest part of the baby's head has passed the pelvic 'brim'.

	Episiotomy
•	A cut made in the perineum (the skin between the vagina and the anus) to enable the baby to be born more quickly.

	FBC
•	Full Blood Count

	Fe
•	Iron has been prescribed.

	Fetus
•	The medical term for the baby before it is born.

	FH
•	Fetal Heart

	FHH
•	Fetal Heart Heard

	FHHR
•	Fetal Heart Heard & Regular

	FM
•	Fetal movement

	FMF
•	Fetal Movement Felt

	Free
•	Head not yet in pelvis.

	Fundus
•	This is the top of the uterus, the fundus height is the length between the top of the uterus and the pubic bone. This measurement helps date the pregnancy and asses the growth of the baby.

	GBS
•	Group B Streptococcus. A type of infection.

	Gest
•	Gestation. The number of weeks into pregnancy.

	GTT
•	Glucose Tolerance Test. For diabetes.

	Hb
•	Haemoglobin. An indication of iron levels in the blood. If this is too low it may indicate anaemia.

	Hypertension
•	High blood pressure

	Hypotension
•	Low blood pressure

	LIE
•	This is the position of the baby in the uterus. Long Lie or LL means Longitudinal Lie, the baby is straight up and down.

	LMP
•	Last Menstrual Period

	Multigravida
•	A woman who has had at least one pregnancy.

	Multipara/Mulitp
•	A woman who has given birth at least once before.

	MSU / MSSU
•	Mid-stream Specimen of Urine

	NAD
•	Nothing Abnormal Detected

	NE
•	Not Engaged

	Occipito Anterior
•	The back of the baby's head is towards your front. LOA is Left Occipito Anterior and ROA is Right Occipito Anterior this describes whether the back of the baby's head to towards the left or right.

	Occipito Posterior
•	The back of the baby's head is towards your back. LOP and ROP describe the position as left or right.

	Oed
•	Oedema. Fluid retention which causes swelling in your ankles, fingers and elsewhere.

	Palpation
•	The midwife or doctor feels the baby by moving their hands over your abdomen.

	Para 0
•	A woman who has no other children.

	Para 1(etc)
•	A woman who has 1 child

	Perineum
•	The area of skin between the vagina and the anus.

	PIH
•	Pregnancy induced hypertension

	PIH/PET
•	Pre-eclampsia

	Placenta praevia
•	When the placenta is low down sometimes it covers the cervix and blocks the baby's exit.

	Post natal
•	After the birth.

	Presentation
•	The position of the baby, with reference to the presenting part, that is the body part that will be born first (usually the vertex or the back of the head).

	Pre-term
•	Born before 37 week of pregnancy.

	Primigravida
•	A woman pregnant for the first time.

	Primapara
•	Sometimes called 'Prim' or 'primip' meaning a woman giving birth for the first time

	Prot.
•	Protein

	Quickening
•	The first time you feel the baby moving.

	Rh
•	Rhesus factor

	RSA
•	Right Sacrum Anterior. The most common breech position.

	Sug.
•	Sugar

	Suture
•	The spaces between the bones in the baby's head

	TCA
•	To Come Again

	Term
•	40 weeks from the first day of the last menstrual period

	Tr
•	Trace. Avery small amount.

	US
•	Ultrasound Scan

	UTI
•	Urinary Tract Infection

	VE/PV
•	Vaginal Examination. Internal.

	Ventouse
•	Vacum Extraction

	VX
•	Vertex. The crown of the baby's head.

	+/++/+++
•	Increasing amounts

It is important that you
understand them