Braxton Hicksn.
/ˈbrakstən hɪks/ Obstetrics.
Used attributively and in the possessive to designate spontaneous, irregular, usually painless contractions of the uterus that occur during pregnancy (described by Hicks in Trans. Obstetr. Soc. (1872) XIII. 216).
ΚΠ
1905 H. Jellett Man. Midwifery iii. ii. 229 The occurrence of painless and intermittent contractions of the uterus which are perceptible from the third month of pregnancy onwards was first determined by Braxton Hicks... It is consequently known as Braxton Hicks' sign.
1928 W. G. Lee Childbirth vi. 62 Inasmuch as these intermittent or Braxton-Hicks contractions of the uterus are..a constant feature of the latter part of pregnancy, the occurrence of pain has prognostic value at this time as an indication that the intensity of uterine contractions has increased.
1985 E. Sloane Biol. of Women (ed. 2) x. 340/2 During the last few weeks of pregnancy, the spontaneous painless Braxton Hicks' contractions that have been occurring all along, become stronger.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1989; most recently modified version published online September 2018).
<
n.1905