Preterm labor and premature birth: Are you at gamble?

KEY POINTS

  • Preterm labor and premature nascency happen also early, before 37 weeks of pregnancy.

  • Babies born prematurely are more likely to have health issues than babies born on fourth dimension.

  • Acquire the signs and symptoms of preterm labor so you lot can get help quickly if they happen to you.

  • We don't e'er know what causes preterm labor and premature birth. We do know sure risk factors may make you more likely to requite birth early.

  • Talk to your provider about what you can do to help reduce your risk for preterm labor and premature birth.

What are preterm labor and premature birth?

Preterm and premature mean the same thing — early on. Preterm labor is labor that begins early, earlier 37 weeks of pregnancy. Labor is the procedure your trunk goes through to give nascence to your baby. Preterm labor can lead to premature nativity. Premature birth is when your baby is born early, before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Your babe needs well-nigh xl weeks in the womb to grow and develop before birth.

Babies born before 37 weeks of pregnancy are called premature. Premature babies can accept serious health problems at birth and afterwards in life. About 1 in x babies is built-in prematurely each year in the United states of america.

What are the signs and symptoms of preterm labor?

Signs of a status are things someone else can run into or know about yous, like you have a rash or you're cough. Symptoms are things you feel yourself that others can't run across, like having a sore throat or feeling dizzy. Learn the signs and symptoms of preterm labor so yous can get help chop-chop if they happen to you.

If you accept even one of these signs and symptoms of preterm labor, call your provider correct away:

  • Change in your vaginal belch (watery, fungus or bloody) or more vaginal belch than usual
  • Pressure in your pelvis or lower belly, similar your baby is pushing downwardly
  • Constant low, slow backache
  • Belly cramps with or without diarrhea
  • Regular or frequent contractions that make your belly tighten similar a fist. The contractions may or may non be painful.
  • Your water breaks

When yous see your provider, he may do a pelvic examination or a transvaginal ultrasound to see if your cervix has started to thin out and open for labor. Your cervix is the opening to the uterus (womb) that sits at the peak of the vagina (birth canal). A transvaginal ultrasound is done in the vagina instead of on the exterior of your belly. Like a regular ultrasound, it uses sound waves and a computer to brand a picture of your baby. If you're having contractions, your provider monitors them to see how strong and far apart they are. You lot may go other tests to assistance your provider detect out if y'all really are in labor.

If you're having preterm labor, your provider may give yous handling to assist terminate it. Or you may get handling to help improve your baby's health before birth. Talk to your provider almost which treatments may be right for you.

Are yous at adventure for preterm labor and premature nativity?

We don't ever know for sure what causes preterm labor and premature birth. Sometimes labor starts on its own without warning. Even if y'all do everything right during pregnancy, yous tin can still give birth early.

We practice know some things may make you more likely than others to have preterm labor and premature nascence. These are called risk factors. Having a risk cistron doesn't mean for sure that you'll have preterm labor or give birth early on. But it may increase your chances. Talk to your health care provider about what y'all can do to help reduce your run a risk.

Because many premature babies are born with low birthweight, many risk factors for preterm labor and premature birth are the aforementioned equally for having a low-birthweight baby. Low birthweight is when a baby is built-in weighing less than v pounds, 8 ounces.

These three risk factors brand you most likely to take preterm labor and give nativity early:

  1. Y'all've had a premature infant in the past.
  2. You're significant with multiples (twins, triplets or more than).
  3. You lot have problems with your uterus or cervix at present or you've had them in the past. Your uterus (likewise chosen the womb) is where your babe grows within yous.

Medical gamble factors earlier pregnancy for preterm labor and premature birth

  • Being underweight or overweight before pregnancy. This can include having an eating disorder, similar anorexia or bulimia.
  • Having a family history of premature birth. This means someone in your family (like your mother, grandmother or sis) has had a premature baby. If you were built-in prematurely, you're more than likely than others to give birth early on.
  • Getting pregnant again too soon later having a baby. For near women information technology'due south best to await at least 18 months earlier getting meaning again. Talk to your provider about the right amount of fourth dimension for y'all.

Medical risk factors during pregnancy for preterm labor and premature nascence

Having certain health conditions during pregnancy can increase your chance for preterm labor and premature nascence, including:

  • Connective tissue disorders, like Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (too chosen EDS) and vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (too chosen vEDS). Connective tissue is tissue that surrounds and supports other tissues and organs. EDS can cause joints to be loose and like shooting fish in a barrel to dislocate; peel to be thin and easily stretched and hobbling; and blood vessels to be delicate and pocket-size. It besides tin can affect your uterus and intestines. vEDS is the about serious kind of EDS because it can cause arteries and organs (similar the uterus) to rupture (burst). EDS and vEDS are genetic conditions that tin can be passed from parent to child through genes.
  • Diabetes. Diabetes is when your body has likewise much sugar (chosen glucose) in your blood.
  • High claret pressure and preeclampsia. High blood pressure (also called hypertension) is when the strength of blood confronting the walls of the blood vessels is too high. This tin stress your heart and cause bug during pregnancy. Preeclampsia is a kind of high blood pressure some women during or right after pregnancy. If not treated, it can crusade serious problems and even death.
  • Infections, including sexually transmitted infections (as well called STIs) and infections of the uterus, urinary tract or vagina
  • Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (likewise called ICP). This is the nigh common liver condition that happens during pregnancy.
  • Thrombophilias. These are conditions that increase your risk of making abnormal blood clots.

Other medical run a risk factors during pregnancy include:

  • Getting late or no prenatal care. Prenatal intendance is medical care you lot get during pregnancy.
  • Non gaining enough weight during pregnancy. This can include having an eating disorder, similar anorexia or bulimia.
  • Bleeding from the vagina in the second or third trimester
  • Preterm premature rupture of the membranes (also called PPROM). Premature rupture of membranes (also called PROM) is when the amniotic sac around your baby breaks (your water breaks) before labor starts. PPROM is when this happens before 37 weeks of pregnancy. If you accept whatsoever fluid leaking from your vagina, call your provider and go to the infirmary.
  • Beingness meaning after in vitro fertilization (too called IVF). IVF is a fertility treatment used to help women go pregnant.
  • Being pregnant with a baby who has sure birth defects, similar heart defects or spina bifida. Nascency defects are wellness conditions that are present at birth. They alter the shape or function of one or more parts of the torso. Nativity defects can cause issues in overall health, how the body develops or how the body works. Spina bifida is a birth defect of the spine.

Risk factors in your everyday life for preterm labor and premature birth

  • Smoking, drinking booze, using street drugs or abusing prescription drugs
  • Having a lot of stress in your life.
  • Low socioeconomic status (also called SES). SES is a combination of things like your instruction, your job and your income (how much coin you lot make).
  • Domestic violence. This is when your partner hurts or abuses you. Information technology includes physical, sexual and emotional abuse.
  • Working long hours or having to stand a lot
  • Exposure to air pollution, lead, radiation and chemicals in things like paint, plastics and secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke is smoke from someone else's cigarette, cigar or pipe.

Historic period and race as risk factors for preterm labor and premature nascency

Being younger than 17 or older than 35 makes you more than likely than other women to give birth early. In the United states, blackness women are more likely to give birth early. Almost 17 percent of black babies are built-in prematurely each year. Just more than than 10 percent of American Indian/Alaska Native and Hispanic babies are built-in early, and less than 10 percent of white and Asian babies. Nosotros don't know why race plays a role in premature birth; researchers are working to learn more nigh it.

Can y'all reduce your risk for preterm labor and premature nascency?

Aye, you may be able to reduce your risk for early labor and birth. Some risk factors are things you tin't change, similar having a premature birth in a previous pregnancy. Others are things you tin do something about, like quitting smoking.

Here'due south what you can practice to reduce your gamble for preterm labor and premature birth:

  • Get to a healthy weight before pregnancy and gain the right amount of weight during pregnancy. Talk to your provider about the right amount of weight for yous before and during pregnancy.
  • Don't fume, drink alcohol use street drugs or abuse prescription drugs. Ask your provider about programs that tin assistance you quit.
  • Get to your commencement prenatal care checkup as shortly as y'all think y'all're pregnant. During pregnancy, go to all your prenatal care checkups, even if y'all're feeling fine. Prenatal care helps your provider make sure yous and your infant are healthy.
  • Get treated for chronic health atmospheric condition, like loftier claret force per unit area, diabetes, depression and thyroid problems. Depression is a medical condition in which potent feelings of sadness last for a long fourth dimension and interfere with your daily life. It needs treatment to get better. The thyroid is a gland in your cervix that makes hormones that help your body store and use energy from food.
  • Protect yourself from infections. Talk to your provider about vaccinations that can assistance protect yous from certain infections. Wash your hands with lather and water after using the bath or bravado your nose. Don't consume raw meat, fish or eggs. Have safe sex. Don't touch cat poop.
  • Reduce your stress. Eat good for you foods and practise something active every day. Ask family and friends for help around the house or taking care of other children. Get help if your partner abuses you. Talk to your dominate well-nigh how to lower your stress at work.
  • Look at to the lowest degree 18 months between giving birth and getting pregnant again. Utilize birth command until you lot're prepare to get pregnant again. If you're older than 35 or yous've had a miscarriage or stillbirth, talk to your provider well-nigh how long to wait between pregnancies. Miscarriage is the death of a babe in the womb earlier 20 weeks of pregnancy. Stillbirth is the death of a baby in the womb subsequently 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Last reviewed: March, 2018

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