Ethnic influence on uterine activity in spontaneous normal labour

Uterine activity in spontaneous normal labour was studied in Singaporean Malay women at term with a singleton vertex presentation. Nulliparae had significantly higher uterine activity compared with their multiparous counterparts. Uterine activity in the Malay population was compared with that of a similar Chinese population. When controlled for parity, maternal height and birthweight of babies, there was no difference in uterine activity between the two groups.