Preterm labor signs: When to Contact Your Maternity Team

Contact your maternity unit immediately if you are less than 37 weeks pregnant and develop regular contractions or tightenings, period type pain, unusual backache, or a gush or trickle of fluid. You do not need to prove that labour has started before calling.

Preterm labour means labour before 37 completed weeks. Symptoms can be uncertain at first, and assessment is the way to find out what is happening. Waiting for a contraction pattern intended for labour at term can delay needed care.

Why prompt contact matters

Early assessment gives the team a chance to identify infection or ruptured membranes, consider treatments appropriate to your pregnancy stage and arrange specialist neonatal care if needed. Some treatments are time sensitive. Calling promptly does not mean that early birth is inevitable, but waiting at home for certainty can reduce the time available to plan care.

The guide to steroids before preterm birth explains one treatment that may be discussed after assessment. It is not a reason to delay urgent birth when continuing pregnancy is unsafe.

Explain what is different for you

Tell the team how many weeks pregnant you are, when the symptoms began and whether they are continuing or becoming stronger. Mention any bleeding, leaking fluid, fever or change in your baby’s movements. Explain if you are carrying twins or have had an earlier premature birth.

You can describe the sensation without deciding whether it is a contraction. If you are unsure, call. Severe pain, heavy bleeding, collapse or an imminent birth with a strong urge to push needs emergency help.

Do not rely on symptoms settling briefly

Some assessments find that labour has not begun. That is useful information, but it is not a reason to avoid calling initially or to ignore symptoms that return. Follow the instructions your team gives you after assessment.

Resting or drinking water should not become a home test that delays contact. The general labour signs guide describes later pregnancy patterns, but suspected labour before 37 weeks needs its own urgent assessment.

Know what the team may check

Assessment can include your history, temperature and other observations, a vaginal examination, urine or blood tests and checks of the baby. Depending on the stage of pregnancy and circumstances, a cervical scan or a vaginal swab test may help evaluate the likelihood of early birth.

If fluid is leaking, the team also needs to assess whether the membranes have ruptured. Our waters breaking early guide explains why this matters even without contractions.

Ask what any treatment is intended to achieve

Selected situations may involve medicine to delay labour, corticosteroids to help prepare the baby for early birth, or magnesium sulfate to reduce some neurological risks of very premature birth. These treatments are not suitable or necessary in every situation.

Infection, bleeding or concern about the baby can make delaying birth inappropriate. The team also considers whether you need transfer to a hospital with suitable neonatal care. Ask what the current findings mean, which decision is needed now and who to contact if the plan changes after you go home.