(1) Bearing a first offspring. (2) Having borne only one previous offspring.
Example:
The purpose of the study was to compare the average duration of labor for primiparous women with that of multiparous women.
Primiparous is used of animals as well as humans. It is typically used with multiparous, "having had one or more previous pregnancies." The terms are common in laboratory research, veterinary science, and human obstetrics. An individual who is a primipara may exhibit certain characteristics, or be subject to certain circumstances, that are peculiar to first pregnancies.