GTPAL
Obstetric History Shorthand
Five numbers tell the whole story of a pregnancy history.
The board-friendly take on obstetric history is that GTPAL puts five numbers on a chart and tells the next provider everything they need. Gravida (total pregnancies), Term (deliveries 37+ weeks), Preterm (20-36+6 weeks), Abortions (spontaneous and elective before 20 weeks), Living children. Twins count as one pregnancy and one delivery but two living. AANP exam vignettes will give you a string of numbers and ask which pregnancy this is, whether the patient had a prior loss, or how to chart the history. Multiparity and prior preterm birth recur as risk-factor stems, so read GTPAL precisely — the numbers carry the clinical meaning.
- GGravidityTotal number of pregnancies (including current).
- TTerm birthsDelivered ≥37 weeks gestation.
- PPreterm birthsDelivered 20 to 36 weeks 6 days gestation.
- AAbortionsSpontaneous (miscarriage) or elective, <20 weeks.
- LLiving childrenCurrently alive.
Clinical Context
Standard obstetric history shorthand for charting and handoffs. "G3 T1 P1 A1 L2" reads as 3 pregnancies, 1 term birth, 1 preterm birth, 1 abortion, 2 living children. Twins count as one pregnancy but two deliveries — document per convention.
Stillbirths (≥20 weeks) are nuanced — included in gravidity but not in T/P/A/L in strict GTPAL. Some systems use TPAL separately from gravidity. AANP obstetric questions expect you to read and write GTPAL fluidly.
Related Mnemonics
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