parturition

views updated May 14 2018

par·tu·ri·tion / ˌpärchoŏˈrishən/ • n. formal or technical the action of giving birth to young; childbirth: the weeks following parturition.

parturition

views updated Jun 11 2018

parturition The act of giving birth to young at the end of the gestation period. It is triggered by the secretion of ACTH by the fetal pituitary gland, which causes increased secretion of corticosteroid hormones by the fetal adrenal glands, which in turn act on the womb and lead to the muscular contractions of labour.

parturition

views updated May 29 2018

parturition (par-tewr-ish-ŏn) n. childbirth. See labour.
parturient (par-tewr-i-ĕnt) adj.