Medical Mnemonics
Obstetrics and Gynaecology Mnemonics
Obstetrics and gynaecology rewards fast, accurate recall under pressure, whether you are grading a cardiotocograph or working through a postpartum haemorrhage. The mnemonics below compress the high-yield lists that examiners return to again and again: causes of bleeding, staging systems, drug regimens and the criteria that separate one diagnosis from another. Use them as retrieval hooks rather than a substitute for understanding. Learn the reasoning behind each acronym, then let the acronym carry the list into the exam hall and onto the labour ward. Each entry here is drawn from core NMC competencies and reflects current Indian obstetric practice.
MedNext Academy | 3 min read
Obstetrics and Gynaecology Mnemonics
Obstetrics and gynaecology rewards fast, accurate recall under pressure, whether you are grading a cardiotocograph or working through a postpartum haemorrhage. The mnemonics below compress the high-yield lists that examiners return to again and again: causes of bleeding, staging systems, drug regimens and the criteria that separate one diagnosis from another. Use them as retrieval hooks rather than a substitute for understanding. Learn the reasoning behind each acronym, then let the acronym carry the list into the exam hall and onto the labour ward. Each entry here is drawn from core NMC competencies and reflects current Indian obstetric practice.
Obstetrics and gynaecology rewards fast, accurate recall under pressure, whether you are grading a cardiotocograph or working through a postpartum haemorrhage. The mnemonics below compress the high-yield lists that examiners return to again and again: causes of bleeding, staging systems, drug regimens and the criteria that separate one diagnosis from another. Use them as retrieval hooks rather than a substitute for understanding. Learn the reasoning behind each acronym, then let the acronym carry the list into the exam hall and onto the labour ward. Each entry here is drawn from core NMC competencies and reflects current Indian obstetric practice.
Mnemonics and expansions
- **4 Ts:** Tone, Tissue, Trauma, Thrombin. Work through the four at the bedside to find the cause of postpartum haemorrhage; atonic uterus (Tone) accounts for about 70 percent of cases.
- **3 Ps:** Power, Passage, Passenger. The three causes of labour dystocia: uterine contractions, the bony pelvis and soft tissues, and the foetus itself.
- **BISHOP:** Dilatation, Effacement, Station, Consistency, Position. Scores cervical favourability before induction; a score of 8 or more predicts a successful induction.
- **APGAR:** Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, Respiration. Scored at 1 and 5 minutes to assess the newborn; it guides monitoring but must never delay resuscitation.
- **PALM-COEIN:** Polyp, Adenomyosis, Leiomyoma, Malignancy; Coagulopathy, Ovulatory dysfunction, Endometrial, Iatrogenic, Not classified. The FIGO framework for abnormal uterine bleeding: PALM causes are structural and seen on imaging, COEIN causes are non-structural.
- **AMSEL:** Amine (whiff) test positive, Milky discharge, clue Cells, Elevated pH above 4.5. Diagnose bacterial vaginosis when at least three of the four criteria are present.
- **GRAVES:** Grave injury to health, Risk to life, Assault (rape), Very serious foetal abnormality, Environment, Spacing (contraceptive failure). The statutory grounds for medical termination of pregnancy under Indian law.
- **OHA (Rotterdam):** Oligo or anovulation, Hyperandrogenism, polycystic ovarian morphology on ultrasound. Diagnose PCOS when two of the three are present after excluding mimics such as thyroid disease and hyperprolactinaemia.
- **5 Ds:** Dysmenorrhoea, Dyspareunia, Dyschezia, Dull pelvic ache, Disordered menstruation. The symptom cluster of endometriosis; pain severity does not correlate with disease stage.
- **DR C BRAVADO:** Define Risk, Contractions, Baseline Rate, Variability, Accelerations, Decelerations, Overall impression. A structured way to read a cardiotocograph without missing any component.
- **6 Fs:** Fundus (endometritis), Foley (UTI), Flap (wound infection), Full breast (mastitis), Femoral vein (DVT), Fumes (chest). Runs through the sources of postpartum pyrexia by anatomical site.
- **MiMi 200-800:** Mifepristone 200 mg oral, then Misoprostol 800 mcg after 24 to 48 hours. The first-trimester medical abortion regimen; give the drugs in this order and never reverse it.
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