Montevideo units

Montevideo units are a method of measuring uterine performance during labor. They were created in 1949 by two physicians, Roberto Caldeyro-Barcia and Hermogenes Alvarez, from Montevideo, Uruguay.

Units are calculated by internally (not externally) measuring peak uterine pressure amplitude (in mmHg), subtracting the resting tone of the contraction, and adding up the numbers in a 10-minute period. Uterine pressure is generally measured through an intrauterine pressure catheter.

Montevideo units can be more simply calculated by summing the individual contraction intensities in a ten-minute period, a process which should arrive at a result identical to the original method of calculation.

Generally, above 200 MVUs is considered necessary for adequate labor during the active phase.