Preterm labor, which is also called premature labor, occurs when a pregnant woman’s body begins preparing to give birth more than three weeks prior to her projected due date. Preterm labor can and does lead to premature birth, but this isn’t always necessarily the case – doctors have ways of delaying preterm labor birth as long as possible in order to provide additional time for a child to develop within the womb. This will reduce the possibility of the child being born with injuries or complications related to premature birth.
Risk Factors for Preterm Labor
While there’s nothing that will definitively trigger a preterm labor birth, there are a number of risk factors that could lead to a pregnant woman going into premature labor. Many of these risk factors are also associated with other birth and pregnancy problems such as placental injuries like placental abruptions or placenta previa. These risk factors include:- Smoking tobacco products
- Being either very overweight or very underweight before pregnancy
- Poor prenatal care
- Drinking alcohol or taking street drugs
- Health conditions like high blood pressure (preeclampsia) or diabetes
- Carrying an infant implanted through in-vitro fertilization
- Carrying more than one infant, such as twins or triplets
- Having either a family history or a personal history of preterm birth
Preterm Labor Birth Symptoms
While it can sometimes become difficult to tell symptoms of preterm birth labor apart from the normal aches and pains of pregnancy, there are several different warning signs to look out for when it comes down to identifying whether someone is undergoing premature labor. These symptoms include, but are not limited to:- Contractions that occur at least every ten minutes, or even sooner
- A backache in the lower back that is persistent and won’t fade with changing positions
- Cramps that feel like menstruation cramps in the lower abdomen
- Fluid leaking from the vagina, including vaginal bleeding or vaginal discharge
- Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or any other flu-like symptoms