Preterm labor and preterm birth carry risks that can affect mom and baby. Prenatal care can help prevent preterm labor and birth, and can be important for early detection. Preterm babies are carefully monitored once they’re born.
But, can preterm labor be kept from happening at all? Generally, the answer is no. There are times when preterm labor is impossible to avoid even for parents and healthcare providers who do everything right, and although it can sometimes be delayed, preterm labor often can’t be stopped entirely.
Before preterm labor begins
Progesterone
Progesterone is a highly important hormone during pregnancy, and women who are at risk for preterm labor or have a shortened cervix and are carrying single babies may be treated with a synthetic form of it to prevent preterm labor.
Progesterone treatments are not safe for women who are at risk for preterm labor if they are pregnant with multiples.
Cervical cerclage
A cerclage, a stitch that’s put in the cervix to hold it closed, is a treatment that’s sometimes recommended to pregnant women who are diagnosed with cervical insufficiency, which can cause the cervix to shorten or thin too soon. Cervical cerclage generally stays in long enough to maintain the pregnancy (until week 37 or 38) and then the stitch is removed, though it can be removed earlier if necessary.
After preterm labor has started
Once preterm labor has begun, it can’t be held off for very long. When labor has started, most healthcare providers assess whether they can delay labor long enough to deliver steroids to help the baby’s lungs mature, and antibiotics to help both mother and baby avoid infection during birth.
Tocolytics
Tocolytics are a type of medication used to delay preterm birth once labor has started. The goal is to delay birth long enough to treat mother and baby for complications of preterm birth, and to move them to a facility that’s prepared for preterm birth complications and the health needs of a preterm baby.
Certain tocolytics have side-effects that affect people differently, so if you need them, your healthcare provider will assess what will work best for you. Tocolytics generally can’t delay preterm labor for longer than two days.
Tocolytics can often, however, delay birth for long enough to get to a hospital that’s best prepared to care for babies who are born preterm.
The truth is, the best way to avoid preterm labor is to stop it before it starts. If it does start, though, doctors have strategies to help ensure that early labor is as safe as it can be for both mother and baby.
Reviewed by the Ovia Health Clinical Team
Sources
- “Preterm Labor.” MayoClinic The Mayo Clinic. Dec 4 2014. Web.
- “Treatments for preterm labor.” March of Dimes. The March of Dimes, July 2014. Web.
- “Delaying a premature birth.” Tommy’s.Tommy’s, July 2014. Web.
- “FAQ087: Preterm (premature) Labor and Birth. ACOG. The American College of Gynecologists and Obstetricians. September 2015. Web.
