Q. I have Braxton Hicks at 27 weeks. Could I be in preterm?
Hello doctor, I am 27 weeks pregnant and have had Braxton Hicks steady for two days with my back cramping and pressure in my bum and vagina. Could I be in preterm?
Hello. You have not mentioned your gynecological, obstetrics, menstrual and drug history. Have you previously had a normal delivery? If no, then the body prepares itself for normal vaginal delivery in the third trimester. In the first time mother, this process is long as it is happening for the first time. So, it takes more time than mothers who already had labor and normal delivery. Everyone's threshold for pain and body's reaction to late perineal changes in the third trimester and labor are different. Only mild cramps without severe contractions episodic going towards lower pelvis from the back are Braxton Hicks and it does not show labor changes in the cervix. Pressure symptoms, bladder heaviness, and recurrent urine are usual symptoms in the third trimester as the baby is mostly in cephalic presentation and growing size creates pressure in neighboring organs naturally. But precautions are necessary. It is better to differentiate between just Braxton Hicks and labor pains with cervical changes. Preterm delivery having lots of factors like infection, fetal, and maternal anomalies and diseases, rupture membranes, etc. Pain threshold relation to cervical changes is different for everyone. I cannot rule out that back cramping, the pressure in bum and vagina cannot lead to preterm delivery but there are factors behind that also that need to sort out. Otherwise, backache, pressure symptoms, mild labor like pains are normal symptoms in most of the women in late pregnancy. I hope you get my point. If there is a pain in the third trimester, we need to check with baby monitoring and mother's cervical changes with the strength of contractions. I hope u get my point. In case of labor-like frequent contractions, rupture of membranes and reduced fetal movements, you need to report to the hospital for monitoring and examination. For more information consult an obstetrician and gynaecologist online -->