Friedman curve /frēd″mən/ [Emanuel A. Friedman, American obstetrician, b. 1926] , a graph depicting the progress of labor, often used in reference to the normal progress of labor and a vaginal delivery. The labor curve is divided into latent and active phases, with the latter subdivided into latent, acceleration, maximum slope, and deceleration. A deviation from this graph may be indicative of an abnormality of labor, which may require intervention.
