Mirror Doctor; What causes premature labour?
Dear Mirror Doctor, Can you please explain to me, signs that indicate that one is going into labour prematurely? What are some of the reasons for premature labour?
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Awo, Accra
Dear Awo, premature birth is a birth that is at least three weeks before a baby's due date.
It is also known as preterm birth (less than 37 weeks).
Being born premature is a serious health risk for a baby. Some babies will require special care and spend weeks or months hospitalised in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
The more preterm a baby is, the more severe his or her health problems are likely to be. Even babies born just a few weeks early can have more health problems than full-term babies.
Sometimes it becomes important to deliver a baby early because of concerns for the health of the mother, baby or both.
However, in most cases, preterm labour begins unexpectedly.
The warning signs of premature labour are— Contractions, change in vaginal discharge, the feeling that the baby is pushing down, dull backache, and cramps that feel like menstrual pains.
The exact cause of preterm birth is unsolved.
There are some known risk factors for premature birth. But even if a woman does everything "right" during pregnancy, she still can have a premature baby.
Risk factors
A number of factors have been identified that are linked to a higher risk of a preterm birth: Age at the upper and lower end of the reproductive years.
Pregnancies below six - months interval have a two-fold increase in preterm birth.
Stressful conditions, hard labour, and long working hours are linked to preterm birth.
Women who have undergone previous surgically induced abortions called dilatation and curettage (D&C) have been shown to have a higher risk of preterm birth. Women with low body mass index and those with poor nutrition have an increased risk for preterm birth. Previous preterm birth, maternal marital status, multiple pregnancies and maternal medical conditions such as hypertension are all risk factors for preterm birth.
Some women have a weak or short cervix from a surgical procedure or by their nature and that is the strongest predictor of premature delivery.
In women with abnormalities of the womb, the capacity of the womb to hold the growing pregnancy may be limited and preterm labour ensues.
Other problems in pregnancy that may precipitate premature labour are vaginal bleeding, abnormal amount of water around the fetus (poly- or oligohydramnios), and use of illicit drugs such as alcohol, cigarette and cocaine.
The premature infant's organs are not fully developed and require special care in a nursery until the organ systems have developed enough to sustain life without medical support.
This may take weeks to months. A premature infant will also have a lower birth weight than a full-term infant.
When premature labour threatens, obstetricians try to prevent the premature birth. They use some medications called tocolytics to try and stop the premature labour. Sometimes they give the mother certain injections to try and make the foetus’s lungs mature if the labour cannot be stopped.
After birth, the baby is admitted to a high-risk nursery or intensive care unit to help it cope with life after delivery.