In plain words
Nulliparous describes a woman who has not given birth before. In clinical use, it means no previous birth at 20 weeks of pregnancy or later. A mother who has had a or an early loss may still be nulliparous. The word appears often in birth research, because first births tend to take longer and are more often induced. Clinicians also look at how a birth plan fits the mother's first birth. Mothers who are nulliparous may hear the word in a clinic or on a hospital form. Some find the term clinical and prefer to say first-time mother. Both describe the same group.
The deeper version
Parity is recorded using the number of births at 20 or more weeks, following the gravidity and parity (GTPAL) convention. Nulliparity is a major predictor of labor duration, rates, and risk. In Birthplace in England (Birthplace Collaborative Group, BMJ 2011), intrapartum or immediate postpartum transfer was reported in about 45 percent of nulliparous women planning home birth, compared with 12 percent of multiparous women. Transfer rates are strongly parity-dependent across settings, which is why nulliparity is the main stratifying variable in outcome research on planned out-of-hospital birth.
Where it comes up
- Childbirth classes: which kind, whenGetting Ready for Birth
- Hospital, birth center, or homeGetting Ready for Birth
- Matrescence: becoming a motherPostpartum: Mind
- VBAC: birth after a cesareanGetting Ready for Birth
What mothers here say about nulliparous
No one has posted under this term yet.
Sources
- Birthplace in England Collaborative Group — Perinatal and maternal outcomes by planned place of birth for healthy women with low risk pregnancies. BMJ 2011