Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentRisk FactorsCoping
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Risk Factors
Coping
Prodromal labor is when contractions start during the third trimester of pregnancy but stop before active labor begins. It’s also called “false labor” or “prelabor." The contractions can feel like real labor but don’t get stronger or make the cervix dilate.
Prodromal labor is different fromBraxton Hicks contractions. Prodromal labor begins in the month leading up to your estimated due date, tends to follow a pattern, and can be uncomfortable. Braxton Hicks contractionscan happen throughout pregnancy, do not follow a pattern, and are usually not painful.
During prodromal labor, your uterus may contract in a pattern. However, unlike real labor, prodromal labor contractions do not change thecervix. This is the main clinical distinction between prodromal labor andactive labor. The cervix must dilate and efface to be considered “true” labor.
Prodromal labor can come and go over a period of days or even weeks. It can be frustrating to deal with, but it is generally not a health concern.
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Signs/Symptoms of Prodromal Labor
Prodromal labor can be difficult to spot because contractions often begin in the month leading up to when you expect to go into labor. Some signs may indicate that you are experiencing prodromal labor.
Signs of prodromal labor include:
Your cervix does notdilate or effaceduring prodromal labor. During early labor, the cervix slowly dilates to 6 centimeters, then during active labor dilates to 10 centimeters.
Apelvic examwould be the only way to determine whether your cervix is changing. Other signs of true early labor include passing loose stools and the loss of yourmucus plug.
Prodromal labor and Braxton Hicks are similar in that neither lead to labor progression. But there are some differences.
Prodromal LaborContractions begin in the month leading up to your due dateContractions may feel likemenstrual crampsContractions may follow a patternBraxton HicksContractions can begin very early in pregnancy—often the second trimesterContractions feel like a tightening sensationContractions are random and do not follow a pattern
Prodromal LaborContractions begin in the month leading up to your due dateContractions may feel likemenstrual crampsContractions may follow a pattern
Contractions begin in the month leading up to your due date
Contractions may feel likemenstrual cramps
Contractions may follow a pattern
Braxton HicksContractions can begin very early in pregnancy—often the second trimesterContractions feel like a tightening sensationContractions are random and do not follow a pattern
Contractions can begin very early in pregnancy—often the second trimester
Contractions feel like a tightening sensation
Contractions are random and do not follow a pattern
There is no known cause of prodromal labor. It is believed that prodromal labor is simply the body’s way of preparing for labor.
When To Call a Healthcare Provider
Prodromal labor is usually not a medical concern, but if you are unable to walk through contractions or if your contractions are five minutes apart for an hour, you may be in active labor. Call your healthcare provider for advice.
Also, if you experience any of the following warning signs, be sure to call your healthcare provider right away:
If you are experiencing contraction-like pain any time before 37 weeks, call your healthcare provider to determine if you need to be evaluated for preterm labor.
Since prodromal labor is not considered a medical emergency or complication, it does not generally require a diagnosis. However, if you have been experiencing on-again-off-again contractions, your healthcare provider or midwife may diagnose prodromal labor or “false labor.”
Prodromal labor does not generally require intervention unless other risk factors are present. The standard course of treatment is to wait and allow labor to start on its own.
Causes for concern include:
Prodromal labor has no known cause so it is difficult to say who is at risk for experiencing prodromal labor. Most of the time the occurrence is completely random. If you had prodromal labor with one pregnancy, it does not mean you will have it with another.
Prodromal labor can be frustrating to experience. Just when you think you’ve arrived at the main event, your labor stops. This may happen over and over. Some people feel like they’ll be in an endless loop of prodromal labor forever.
In the meantime, it can be good to consider coping techniques. Things that help with early labor also work well for coping with prodromal labor.
Techniques for coping include:
A Word From Verywell
Try to remember that prodromal labor is valuable preparation for eventual labor. Utilize coping techniques that you learned in childbirth preparation class, stay upright and mobile, and think of ways to pass the time. Prodromal labor, while tiring, often means that labor is near.
If you experience any warning signs, such as less frequent fetal movement, you are leaking fluid from the vagina, your water breaks, you are bleeding from the vagina, or are experiencing contractions that are close together, call your healthcare provider.
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cleveland Clinic.Prodromal labor.National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.What are the stages of labor?Hanley GE, Munro S, Greyson D, et al.Diagnosing onset of labor: a systematic review of definitions in the research literature.BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2016;16:71. doi:10.1186/s12884-016-0857-4Kunzier N, Kinzler W, Chavez M, Adams T, Brand D, Vintzileos A.The use of cervical sonography to differentiate true from false labor in term patients presenting for labor check.Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2016;215(3):372.e1-372.e5. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2016.03.031American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.How to tell when labor begins.Cleveland Clinic.Natural birth: coping skills for labor without medication.
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cleveland Clinic.Prodromal labor.National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.What are the stages of labor?Hanley GE, Munro S, Greyson D, et al.Diagnosing onset of labor: a systematic review of definitions in the research literature.BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2016;16:71. doi:10.1186/s12884-016-0857-4Kunzier N, Kinzler W, Chavez M, Adams T, Brand D, Vintzileos A.The use of cervical sonography to differentiate true from false labor in term patients presenting for labor check.Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2016;215(3):372.e1-372.e5. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2016.03.031American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.How to tell when labor begins.Cleveland Clinic.Natural birth: coping skills for labor without medication.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Cleveland Clinic.Prodromal labor.National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.What are the stages of labor?Hanley GE, Munro S, Greyson D, et al.Diagnosing onset of labor: a systematic review of definitions in the research literature.BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2016;16:71. doi:10.1186/s12884-016-0857-4Kunzier N, Kinzler W, Chavez M, Adams T, Brand D, Vintzileos A.The use of cervical sonography to differentiate true from false labor in term patients presenting for labor check.Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2016;215(3):372.e1-372.e5. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2016.03.031American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.How to tell when labor begins.Cleveland Clinic.Natural birth: coping skills for labor without medication.
Cleveland Clinic.Prodromal labor.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.What are the stages of labor?
Hanley GE, Munro S, Greyson D, et al.Diagnosing onset of labor: a systematic review of definitions in the research literature.BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2016;16:71. doi:10.1186/s12884-016-0857-4
Kunzier N, Kinzler W, Chavez M, Adams T, Brand D, Vintzileos A.The use of cervical sonography to differentiate true from false labor in term patients presenting for labor check.Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2016;215(3):372.e1-372.e5. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2016.03.031
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.How to tell when labor begins.
Cleveland Clinic.Natural birth: coping skills for labor without medication.
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