primipara

Primipara, or primiparous, is a term used in obstetrics to describe a woman who has given birth once to a fetus or infant at a gestational age considered viable. In obstetric terminology, parity refers to the number of pregnancies carried to viability, while gravidity denotes the total number of pregnancies regardless of outcome. A nullipara has never carried a pregnancy to viability, a primipara has carried one such pregnancy, and a multipara has carried two or more. Some sources also use bipara for two births or tripara for three, but multipara is the common umbrella term for two or more.

The count typically excludes pregnancies that end before viability, such as miscarriages or abortions, since parity is tied to births reaching viability. Clinically, primipara status is used in patient history to guide risk assessment, counseling, and management in current and future pregnancies. A woman who delivers her first viable birth is primiparous; if she subsequently delivers again, she becomes multiparous. The terminology emphasizes outcomes reaching viability and is distinct from gravidity, which remains a count of all pregnancies regardless of outcome.