tocodynamometer /tō′kōdī′nəmom″ətər/ [Gk, tokos, birth, dynamis, force, metron, measure] , an electronic device for monitoring and recording uterine contractions in labor. It consists of a pressure transducer that is applied to the fundus of the uterus by means of a belt, which is connected to a machine that records the duration of the contractions and the interval between them on graph paper. The relative intensity of the contractions is also indicated but cannot be quantified. The tocodynamometer is a component of external monitoring in childbirth. Also spelled tokodynamometer. See also electronic fetal monitor.
