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Noun: uterine contraction
  1. A rhythmic tightening in labour of the upper uterine musculature that contracts the size of the uterus and pushes the foetus toward the birth canal

Derived forms: uterine contractions

Type of: contraction, muscle contraction, muscular contraction

Part of: childbed [archaic], confinement, labor [US], labour [Brit, Cdn], lying-in, parturiency, travail [literary]

Encyclopedia: Uterine contraction