A woman's gravidity refers to the total number of pregnancies, while her parity refers to the number of deliveries of fetuses with a gestational age of at least 20 weeks. Different recording systems exist, such as GPA (gravida-para-abortions) or TPAL (term births, premature births, abortions, living births). For example, a woman with two miscarriages, two live births, and currently pregnant would have a gravidity of 5 and a parity of 2 under GPA notation.

1. Gravidity and parity
- recording system
宋碧琳 老師/ 李翰泓 #9301

2. Definition
● Gravidity
o the number of time a woman has been pregnant
● Parity
o the number of times that she has given birth to a
fetus with a gestational age of 20 weeks or more
● Abortion
o the total number of induced abortion or miscarriage
or ectopic pregnancy before 20 weeks

3. For example ...
● A women used to give birth to a 30 week
dead fetus, and now this mother is pregnant
for 12 weeks, what are her gravidity and
parity number?

4. Terms - 1
● Gravidity
o nulligravida: a woman who has never been pregnant
o primigravida: a woman who is pregnant or has been
pregnant for one time
o multigravida or secundogravida: a woman who has
been pregnant more than one time

5. Gravidity & Parity- count or not?
● Molar pregnancy
o Complete
o Partial?
● Ectopic pregnancy
o Fallopian (tubal)
o abdominal?

6. Term - 2
● Parity
o nulliparous: a woman who has not given birth
previously
o primiparous: a woman who must have to given birth
once
o multiparous (multip):
 a woman who has given birth more than 1 times
 a women who produce more than one within a birth

7. Recording systems
● GPA system
o Gravida/Para/Abortus = Gravidity/Parity/Abortion
o A multiple birth should be interpreted as a single
parous event
● TPAL system
o T: term births, P: premature births, A: abortions, L:
living births
o GTPAL = Gravidity+TPAL

8. For example...
● A woman used to miscarriage once, and
now has a 2 y/o daughter and a 3 y/o son,
now the woman is pregnant again, what’s
her GPA number?
● A woman who has given birth at term once
and has had one miscarriage at 12 weeks,
what’s her GTPAL number?

9. ● A woman is pregnant with twins, she gave
birth to the first fetus on 26 week, and the
other on 37 week, what’s her GP number?
● If the first fetus delivered by the
abovementioned woman died right after
labor, what’s her GTPAL number?

10. ● A woman underwent IVF and got 3 fertilized
egg successfully embed. However, one of
them miscarriaged at 18 weeks, then the
mother gave birth to the rest two at 35
weeks. What’s her GPA and GTPAL
number?

11. USMLE
● A woman presents to your office for prenatal care. She has had two
abortions, two second-trimester miscarriages, one ectopic
pregnancy, a fetal demise at 37 weeks' gestation, and two live
births. Her son, who is now 13 years old, was delivered at 34
weeks' gestation by spontaneous vaginal delivery. Her daughter,
who is now 10 years old, was delivered at 38 weeks' gestation by
cesarean section secondary to fetal distress during labor. What are
her Gs and Ps by simple notation and by TPAL notation,
respectively?

12. Conclusion
● These terms need to be standardized to
prevent misinterpretation and
misunderstanding
● These complicated things DO APPEAR IN
EXAMS, so please try to clarify them!

13. Reference
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravidity_and_parity#cite_note-9
2. http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/gravidity-and-parity-
definitions-and-their-implications-in-risk-assessment
3. http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Molar-
pregnancy/Pages/Introduction.aspx
4. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/557082_5
5. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/multiparous
6. http://www.usmle-forums.com/usmle-step-2-ck-forum/11328-
tpal-system-gravida-para-notation.html