Anaesthesia | Obstetrics | Physiology of Labour

Physiology of Labour
Session Overview
Description
This session describes the physiological processes that take place during normal human labour, focusing particularly on the powers, the passenger and passage involved.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Explain the principles of smooth muscle contraction
• Summarize the mechanisms involved in the onset and maintenance of labour
• Describe the events of the first, second and third stages of labour

Prerequisites
Before commencing this session you should:

• Possess an undergraduate level of prior obstetric knowledge

The uterus is a muscular organ. It contracts throughout a woman's reproductive life but the nature of the contractions (powers) changes in pregnancy and more so during labour, propelling the fetus (passenger) through the woman's pelvis (passage).