Summary

Preterm labor is labor that starts before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy. It can lead to premature birth. Premature babies may face serious health risks.

Symptoms of preterm labor include:

• Contractions every 10 minutes or more often
• Leaking fluid or bleeding from the vagina
• Feeling of pressure in the pelvis
• Low, dull backache
• Cramps that feel like menstrual cramps
• Abdominal cramps with or without diarrhea

If you think you might be having preterm labor, contact your health care provider.

NIH: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Learn More

• About Preterm Labor and Birth (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
• Extremely Preterm Birth (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
• Preterm Birth (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Preterm labor (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• What Are the Risk Factors for Preterm Labor and Birth? (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
• What Treatments Can Reduce the Chances of Preterm Labor and Birth? (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Obstetric Labor, Premature (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: The effectiveness and safety of continuous and repeated treatment of atosiban...
• Article: Prolonged administration of ritodrine hydrochloride in women with premature labor or...
• Article: Development and Effect of Prenatal Education Programs Using Virtual Reality for...
• Preterm Labor -- see more articles