In labor, what does contraction frequency refer to?

• A. The duration of each contraction
• B. The intensity of contractions
• C. The time between the beginning of one contraction and the beginning of the next
• D. The total number of contractions in a 10-minute period

Answer: (C)

Contraction frequency refers to how often contractions occur, measured by the time from the start of one contraction to the start of the next. This tells you how often labor contractions are happening and helps gauge progression—contractions that begin closer together indicate labor is advancing. It’s different from how long each contraction lasts (duration) or how strong it feels (intensity). For example, if one contraction starts at 2:00 and the next starts at 2:02, the frequency is two minutes. Counting how many contractions occur in a set period (like ten minutes) is related, but the key idea is the interval between starts.