How to Prevent Premature Labor

It's something we all worry about when we're pregnant – going into premature labor. Unfortunately, premature labor, which is labor that occurs between 20 and 37 weeks, is a very real risk for many women. Unfortunately, as many as forty percent of premature labor cases have unknown causes - those that do are caused by things like multiple pregnancies, infections, hypertension, pre-eclamspia, maternal stress, smoking, and a variety of other factors. What you need to be on the lookout for is bleeding, contractions, your water breaking, or severe abdominal cramps. If these occur, see your doctor immediately. You should be aware that prevention of premature labor may include bed rest, drugs to stop contractions, ties and other methods. Even t hese will not always work however, and usually, the sooner they are applied, the better the chances of slowing or halting labor temporarily.