Obstetrics & Gynecology Abbreviations
89 abbreviations · part of Medical Abbreviations
Abbreviations used in prenatal records, ultrasound reports, labor and delivery notes, gynecologic surgery, cervical screening, contraception, menopause care and fertility treatment. Pregnancy dating and obstetric history follow conventions such as gestational age in weeks plus days and the GTPAL system, and most US clinical definitions come from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Several letters overlap with other specialties, for example GA, ROM, CS and IOL, so entries explain how to tell them apart.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Description |
|---|---|---|
| AFI | Amniotic fluid index | Ultrasound estimate of amniotic fluid volume obtained by adding the deepest vertical fluid pockets in four quadrants of the uterus, in centimeters. |
| AGA | Appropriate for gestational age | Birth weight between the 10th and 90th percentiles for gestational age, the classification for most newborns. |
| AMA | Advanced maternal age | Pregnancy in which the mother will be 35 or older at delivery, associated with higher risks of chromosomal abnormalities, miscarriage, gestational diabetes… |
| AMH | Anti-Müllerian hormone | Hormone produced by small growing follicles in the ovary, measured in blood as a marker of ovarian reserve. |
| AROM | Artificial rupture of membranes | Deliberate opening of the amniotic sac with a small plastic hook, also called amniotomy, to induce or speed up labor or to allow placement of internal monitors. |
| ART | Assisted reproductive technology | Fertility treatments in which eggs or embryos are handled outside the body, including IVF, ICSI, frozen embryo transfer and egg donation. |
| ASC-US | Atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance | The most common abnormal Pap result, meaning some cervical cells look slightly abnormal but not clearly precancerous. |
| AUB | Abnormal uterine bleeding | Bleeding from the uterus that is abnormal in frequency, regularity, duration or volume, or that occurs between periods. |
| BCP | Birth control pill | Everyday term for oral contraceptive pills, used in patient histories, medication lists and patient education. |
| BPD | Biparietal diameter | Ultrasound measurement of the fetal head across its widest point, between the two parietal bones, used with head circumference, abdominal circumference and femur length… |
| BPP | Biophysical profile | Ultrasound-based fetal assessment scoring five components, each worth 2 points: nonstress test, fetal breathing movements, body movements, muscle tone and amniotic… |
| BSO | Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy | Surgical removal of both fallopian tubes and both ovaries, often performed with hysterectomy or alone to reduce cancer risk. |
| BTL | Bilateral tubal ligation | Permanent contraception in which both fallopian tubes are cut, tied, clipped, cauterized or removed so eggs cannot meet sperm. |
| BV | Bacterial vaginosis | The most common cause of abnormal vaginal discharge in women of reproductive age, caused by an overgrowth of anaerobic bacteria replacing normal lactobacilli. |
| C-section | Cesarean section | Surgical delivery of a baby through incisions in the abdomen and uterus, performed for reasons such as failure of labor to progress, fetal distress, abnormal position… |
| CIN | Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia | Precancerous changes in the cervix found on biopsy, graded 1 (mild), 2 (moderate) or 3 (severe, including carcinoma in situ) by how much of the lining is abnormal. |
| COC | Combined oral contraceptive | Birth control pill containing both an estrogen, usually ethinyl estradiol, and a progestin. |
| CRL | Crown-rump length | Ultrasound measurement of an embryo or fetus from the top of the head to the bottom of the rump, the most accurate way to date a pregnancy in the first trimester… |
| CS | Cesarean section | Abbreviation for cesarean delivery widely used in international research, WHO publications and British and Commonwealth clinical notes, as in "CS rate" or "emergency CS". |
| CST | Contraction stress test | Test of fetal reserve in which the fetal heart rate is observed during at least three contractions in 10 minutes, induced by oxytocin or nipple stimulation if necessary. |
| CVS | Chorionic villus sampling | Diagnostic prenatal test in which a small sample of placental tissue is taken through the cervix or abdomen, usually at 10–13 weeks, for chromosomal or genetic analysis. |
| D&C | Dilation and curettage | Procedure in which the cervix is dilated and tissue is removed from the inside of the uterus with suction or a curette. |
| D&E | Dilation and evacuation | Procedure for emptying the uterus in the second trimester, typically after about 13–14 weeks, using cervical preparation, suction and instruments. |
| EC | Emergency contraception | Methods used after unprotected sex or contraceptive failure to prevent pregnancy: levonorgestrel pills (up to 72 hours, available over the counter), ulipristal acetate… |
| EDC | Estimated date of confinement | Older term for a pregnancy's due date, identical in meaning to EDD. "Confinement" refers to the traditional period of lying-in around childbirth. |
| EDD | Estimated due date | Projected date of delivery, set 280 days (40 weeks) after the first day of the last menstrual period or determined by early ultrasound. |
| EFM | Electronic fetal monitoring | Continuous recording of the fetal heart rate and uterine contractions during labor, usually with external ultrasound and pressure sensors on the abdomen, or internal… |
| EFW | Estimated fetal weight | Fetal weight calculated from ultrasound measurements of the head, abdomen and femur, expressed in grams and as a percentile for gestational age. |
| EMB | Endometrial biopsy | Office procedure in which a thin flexible tube is passed through the cervix to sample the lining of the uterus, used to evaluate abnormal or postmenopausal bleeding and… |
| FET | Frozen embryo transfer | Transfer of an embryo that was frozen (vitrified) in an earlier IVF cycle and thawed, timed to a prepared uterine lining in a natural or hormone-programmed cycle. |
| FGR | Fetal growth restriction | Failure of a fetus to reach its growth potential, defined by the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine as an estimated fetal weight or abdominal circumference below the… |
| FHR | Fetal heart rate | Heartbeat of the fetus, normally 110–160 beats per minute at baseline, monitored during prenatal visits and labor. |
| G/P | Gravida/para | Shorthand for obstetric history: gravida is the number of times a woman has been pregnant, and para is the number of pregnancies carried to 20 weeks or beyond. |
| GA | Gestational age | Age of a pregnancy measured in completed weeks and days from the first day of the last menstrual period, written for example as 32w4d or 32 4/7 weeks. |
| GBS | Group B Streptococcus | Bacterium (Streptococcus agalactiae) carried in the vagina or rectum of about a quarter of pregnant people, harmless to the carrier but able to cause severe infection… |
| GCT | Glucose challenge test | Screening test for gestational diabetes in which a pregnant patient drinks 50 g of glucose without fasting and has blood glucose measured one hour later, typically at… |
| GSM | Genitourinary syndrome of menopause | Collection of symptoms caused by low estrogen after menopause affecting the vulva, vagina, urethra and bladder: dryness, burning, painful intercourse, urinary urgency… |
| GTPAL | Gravida, term, preterm, abortions, living | Detailed system for recording obstetric history: total pregnancies (G), term births (T), preterm births (P), abortions or miscarriages before 20 weeks (A) and currently… |
| HELLP | Hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelets | Severe complication of pregnancy, usually considered a variant of preeclampsia, with red cell breakdown, liver injury and low platelets. |
| HG | Hyperemesis gravidarum | Severe, persistent nausea and vomiting in pregnancy leading to dehydration, weight loss of more than 5 percent and electrolyte problems, far beyond typical morning… |
| HRT | Hormone replacement therapy | Treatment with estrogen, usually with a progestogen if the uterus is present, to relieve menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness and… |
| HSIL | High-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion | Pap result indicating moderate to severe cell changes with a substantial risk of underlying CIN 2 or CIN 3, the true cancer precursors. |
| ICP | Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy | Liver condition of late pregnancy causing intense itching, especially of the palms and soles, without a rash, with elevated serum bile acids. |
| ICSI | Intracytoplasmic sperm injection | IVF laboratory technique in which a single sperm is injected directly into each egg with a fine needle, used mainly for male factor infertility and previous… |
| IOL | Induction of labor | Starting labor artificially before it begins on its own, using cervical ripening agents such as misoprostol or a balloon catheter, oxytocin infusion and amniotomy. |
| IUD | Intrauterine device | Small T-shaped device placed in the uterus for contraception: copper IUDs work by creating an environment toxic to sperm, while hormonal IUDs release levonorgestrel. |
| IUFD | Intrauterine fetal demise | Death of a fetus in the uterus, in the US typically at or after 20 weeks of gestation, when it is classified as a stillbirth. |
| IUGR | Intrauterine growth restriction | Older term for a fetus that is not growing to its expected size, usually defined as an estimated fetal weight below the 10th percentile. |
| IUI | Intrauterine insemination | Fertility treatment in which washed, concentrated sperm are placed directly into the uterus through a thin catheter around the time of ovulation, often combined with… |
| IUP | Intrauterine pregnancy | Pregnancy located inside the uterine cavity, confirmed on ultrasound by a gestational sac containing a yolk sac or embryo. |
| IUPC | Intrauterine pressure catheter | Thin catheter placed through the cervix into the uterus after the membranes have ruptured to measure the actual strength of contractions in mmHg. |
| IVF | In vitro fertilization | Fertility treatment in which the ovaries are stimulated with hormones, eggs are retrieved with a needle, fertilized with sperm in a laboratory, and resulting embryos… |
| LARC | Long-acting reversible contraception | Contraceptive methods that last for years without user action: intrauterine devices (copper and hormonal) and the contraceptive implant. |
| LEEP | Loop electrosurgical excision procedure | Outpatient treatment for high-grade cervical precancer in which a thin wire loop carrying electrical current removes the transformation zone of the cervix. |
| LGA | Large for gestational age | Birth weight above the 90th percentile for gestational age, often associated with maternal diabetes, obesity and excessive weight gain in pregnancy. |
| LMP | Last menstrual period | First day of a woman's most recent menstrual period, used to date a pregnancy and to calculate the estimated due date. |
| LSIL | Low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion | Pap result indicating mild cell changes, usually caused by a transient HPV infection that clears on its own, especially in young women. |
| MHT | Menopausal hormone therapy | Preferred modern term for estrogen therapy, with or without a progestogen, used to treat menopause symptoms. |
| MSAFP | Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein | Blood test usually done between 15 and 22 weeks that measures AFP, a fetal protein, in the mother's blood. |
| MVA | Manual vacuum aspiration | Office-based procedure that uses a handheld syringe to create suction and empty the uterus in early pregnancy, usually up to about 12 weeks, for miscarriage management… |
| NIPT | Noninvasive prenatal testing | Maternal blood test that analyzes cell-free DNA from the placenta to screen for fetal chromosomal conditions such as trisomies 21, 18 and 13, and often to report fetal… |
| NST | Nonstress test | Prenatal test of fetal well-being that records the fetal heart rate for 20–40 minutes to look for accelerations with fetal movement. |
| NSVD | Normal spontaneous vaginal delivery | Vaginal birth that begins and progresses on its own, without forceps, vacuum or cesarean, usually with the baby in a head-first position. |
| NT | Nuchal translucency | First-trimester ultrasound measurement of the fluid-filled space at the back of the fetal neck, taken between about 11 and 14 weeks. |
| OB | Obstetrics | Branch of medicine covering pregnancy, labor, delivery and the postpartum period. |
| OCP | Oral contraceptive pill | Daily birth control pill, either combined estrogen-progestin or progestin-only, that prevents pregnancy mainly by suppressing ovulation. |
| OHSS | Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome | Complication of fertility medications in which the ovaries enlarge and fluid shifts out of blood vessels into the abdomen, causing bloating, pain, nausea and, in severe… |
| Pap | Papanicolaou test | Cervical screening test in which cells collected from the cervix are examined under a microscope to detect precancerous changes and cancer. |
| PGT | Preimplantation genetic testing | Genetic testing of cells biopsied from IVF embryos before transfer. |
| PID | Pelvic inflammatory disease | Infection of the upper female reproductive organs, including the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries, usually ascending from sexually transmitted chlamydia or gonorrhea. |
| PIH | Pregnancy-induced hypertension | Older umbrella term for high blood pressure that develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy, now divided into gestational hypertension (without signs of organ involvement)… |
| PMS | Premenstrual syndrome | Recurring physical and emotional symptoms in the days before menstruation, such as bloating, breast tenderness, irritability, mood changes and fatigue, that ease once… |
| POI | Primary ovarian insufficiency | Loss of normal ovarian function before age 40, with irregular or absent periods, high FSH and low estrogen. |
| POP | Pelvic organ prolapse | Descent of the bladder, uterus, vaginal vault or rectum into or beyond the vaginal opening because of weakened pelvic floor support, often after childbirth and with… |
| PP | Postpartum | Period after childbirth, traditionally the first six weeks (the puerperium), when the body recovers from pregnancy. |
| PPH | Postpartum hemorrhage | Excessive bleeding after childbirth, defined by ACOG as cumulative blood loss of 1,000 mL or more, or bleeding with signs of low blood volume, within 24 hours. |
| PPROM | Preterm prelabor rupture of membranes | Rupture of the amniotic sac before 37 weeks and before labor, a cause of about a third of preterm births. |
| PROM | Prelabor rupture of membranes | Rupture of the amniotic sac before labor begins, at term (37 weeks or later). |
| PTB | Preterm birth | Birth before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy, affecting about 1 in 10 US births. |
| PTL | Preterm labor | Regular uterine contractions causing cervical change before 37 weeks of pregnancy. |
| ROM | Rupture of membranes | Breaking of the amniotic sac, commonly called the water breaking, which normally occurs during labor. |
| SAB | Spontaneous abortion | Medical term for miscarriage, the loss of a pregnancy before 20 weeks of gestation, most often in the first trimester because of chromosomal abnormalities. |
| SGA | Small for gestational age | Baby, or fetus, whose weight is below the 10th percentile for its gestational age. |
| SROM | Spontaneous rupture of membranes | Natural breaking of the amniotic sac without medical intervention, before or during labor. |
| TAH | Total abdominal hysterectomy | Removal of the uterus and cervix through an incision in the abdomen, used for large fibroids, cancer and other conditions when a less invasive route is not suitable.… |
| TOLAC | Trial of labor after cesarean | Planned attempt at vaginal birth by someone with a previous cesarean delivery. |
| TTTS | Twin-twin transfusion syndrome | Complication of identical twins sharing one placenta (monochorionic), in which abnormal blood vessel connections shunt blood from one twin (the donor) to the other (the… |
| VBAC | Vaginal birth after cesarean | Vaginal delivery in a woman who has previously had a cesarean birth. |
| VMS | Vasomotor symptoms | Hot flashes and night sweats, the most common symptoms of menopause, experienced by most women during the transition and lasting a median of about seven years. |
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