A pregnant woman with no living children states she delivered a stillborn baby at 38 weeks. How should her obstetric history be documented?

To accurately document a pregnant woman's obstetric history, it's essential to understand the definitions of "gravida" and "para." Gravida refers to the number of times a woman has been pregnant, while para refers to the number of pregnancies that have reached a viable gestational age (typically defined as 20 weeks or more), irrespective of the outcome (such as live birth or stillbirth).

In this case, the woman is experiencing her second pregnancy. She has had one pregnancy that resulted in a stillbirth at 38 weeks, which counts as an event that contributes to her "para" count, even though the result was not a live birth. Therefore, in documenting her obstetric history, she should be identified as gravida 2 (indicating two pregnancies) and para 1 (indicating one outcome that reached at least 20 weeks, which includes the stillborn baby).

Thus, the appropriate documentation for her obstetric history is gravida 2 and para 1. This captures both her pregnancy experiences accurately. Options that suggest otherwise do not align with these definitions, particularly those that miscount the number of pregnancies or outcomes.