Utilize the GTPAL system to classify a woman who is currently 18 weeks pregnant.
This is her 4th pregnancy.
She gave birth to one baby vaginally at 26 weeks who died, experienced a miscarriage, and has one living child who was delivered at 38 weeks gestation.
A.
4, 1, 1, 1.
B.
3, 2, 1.
C.
4, 2, 2, 1, 1.
D.
3, 2, 1, 1, 1.
The correct answer and Explanation is :
The GTPAL system is used to provide a detailed obstetric history. It stands for:
- G: Gravida (the number of pregnancies, including the current one)
- T: Term births (the number of deliveries at 37 weeks of gestation or later)
- P: Preterm births (the number of deliveries between 20 and 36 weeks of gestation)
- A: Abortions (the number of pregnancies that ended in miscarriage or elective abortion before 20 weeks of gestation)
- L: Living children (the number of living children)
Let’s analyze the information given:
- The woman is currently 18 weeks pregnant, so this is her 4th pregnancy.
- She had a baby born at 26 weeks who died, which counts as a preterm birth.
- She experienced a miscarriage, which counts as an abortion.
- She has one living child who was delivered at 38 weeks gestation, which counts as a term birth.
Now, let’s classify her using the GTPAL system:
- Gravida (G): She is currently pregnant, so she has had 3 previous pregnancies plus the current one, making her gravida 4.
- Term births (T): She has one living child born at 38 weeks, so she has one term birth.
- Preterm births (P): She had one baby born at 26 weeks, so she has one preterm birth.
- Abortions (A): She had one miscarriage, so she has one abortion.
- Living children (L): She has one living child.
Therefore, the GTPAL classification for this woman is:
4, 1, 1, 1, 1
This matches option D.
Explanation
- G (Gravida): Total number of pregnancies including the current one. Here, it’s 4 (three prior and one current).
- T (Term births): The number of deliveries at 37 weeks or later. The woman has one living child born at 38 weeks, so this is 1.
- P (Preterm births): The number of deliveries between 20 and 36 weeks. She had one preterm birth at 26 weeks, so this is 1.
- A (Abortions): The number of pregnancies ending before 20 weeks. She had one miscarriage, so this is 1.
- L (Living children): The number of currently living children. She has one living child.
Thus, option D is the correct classification using the GTPAL system.