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- Pregnancy & Parenting
- Labour and Birth
- Stages of Labour
- Preterm Labour
Content Map Terms
Pregnancy & Parenting Categories
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Planning Your Pregnancy
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Fertility
- Ovulation and Fertility Pregnancy Planning
- Ovulation and Transport of Egg
- Find Your Ovulation Day
- Infertility: Problems With Ovulation
- Ovulation
- Superovulation
- Interactive Tool: When are you most fertile?
- Infertility
- Infertility: Emotional and Social Concerns
- Pregnancy after Age 35
- Infertility: Ethical and Legal Concerns
- Infertility: Factors That Affect Treatment Success
- Infertility: Setting Limits on Testing
- Infertility: Problems With the Man's Reproductive System
- Infertility: Problems With Fallopian Tubes
- Infertility: Problems With the Uterus and Cervix
- Cancer Treatment and Infertility
- Fertility Problems: Should I Be Tested?
- Infertility Tests
- Fertility Drugs
- Fertility Problems
- Fertility Problems: Should I Have a Tubal Procedure or In Vitro Fertilization?
- Insemination for Infertility
- Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection for Infertility
- Infertility Treatment for Women With PCOS
- In Vitro Fertilization for Infertility
- Infertility: Setting Limits on Treatment
- Infertility: Questions to Ask About Medicine or Hormone Treatment
- Infertility: Questions to Ask About Assisted Reproductive Technology
- Infertility: Should I Have Treatment?
- Insemination Procedures for Infertility
- Gamete and Zygote Intrafallopian Transfer for Infertility
- Varicocele Repair for Infertility
- Fallopian Tube Procedures for Infertility
- Follicle-Stimulating Hormone
- Luteinizing Hormone
- Progesterone
- Sperm Penetration Tests
- Infertility Concerns When Planning a Pregnancy
- Planning a Pregnancy After 35
- Pregnancy Issues for Women Over Age 35
- Basal Body Temperature (BBT) Charting
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Your Health When Planning to Become Pregnant
- Health Care for Pregnancy Planning
- Physical Activity When Planning a Pregnancy
- Smoking When You are Planning a Pregnancy
- Alcohol and Pregnancy Planning
- Preparing for a Healthy Pregnancy
- Diabetes: Planning for a Healthy Pregnancy
- Diabetes: Preparing for Pregnancy
- Pregnancy and Diabetes: Planning for Pregnancy
- Diabetes: Preparing for Pregnancy
- Video About Planning a Pregnancy
- Planning the Timing of Your Next Pregnancy
- Ending a Pregnancy
- Adoption
- Planning for Maternity and Parental Leave
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Fertility
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Pregnancy
- Healthcare Providers During Pregnancy
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Your Health During Pregnancy
- Dental Care During Pregnancy
- Healthy Sex During Pregnancy
- Posture and Back Care During Pregnancy
- Shortness of Breath During Pregnancy
- Using Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medications During Pregnancy
- Immunizations and Pregnancy
- Quick Tips: Healthy Pregnancy Habits
- Massage Therapy during Pregnancy
- Sex During Pregnancy
- Leg Cramps During Pregnancy
- Medicines During Pregnancy
- Swelling During Pregnancy
- Electronic Fetal Heart Monitoring
- Getting Help for Perinatal Depression
- Depression: Should I Take Antidepressants While I'm Pregnant?
- Pregnancy: Dealing With Morning Sickness
- Back Pain During Pregnancy
- Bedrest for Preterm Labour
- Abnormal Pap Test While Pregnant
- Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy
- Acupressure for Morning Sickness
- Automated Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring
- Pregnancy After Bariatric Surgery
- Braxton Hicks Contractions
- Caffeine During Pregnancy
- Dental Care During Pregnancy
- Exercise During Pregnancy
- Fatigue During Pregnancy
- Fever During Pregnancy
- Pregnancy: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Pregnancy: Changes in Bowel Habits
- Pregnancy: Healthy Weight Gain
- Pregnancy: Hemorrhoids and Constipation
- Pregnancy: Hot Tub and Sauna Use
- Pregnancy: Pelvic and Hip Pain
- Pregnancy: Ways to Find Your Due Date
- Estrogens
- External Cephalic Version (Version) for Breech Position
- Symptoms of Pregnancy
- Sexually Transmitted Infections During Pregnancy
- Pre-Eclampsia: Checkups and Monitoring
- Pre-Eclampsia: Expectant Management
- Gestational Diabetes
- Insulin Injection Areas for Gestational Diabetes
- Gestational Diabetes: Checking Your Blood Sugar
- Gestational Diabetes: Counting Carbs
- Gestational Diabetes: Dealing With Low Blood Sugar
- Gestational Diabetes: Giving Yourself Insulin Shots
- Ginger for Morning Sickness
- Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) During Pregnancy
- Nausea or Vomiting During Pregnancy
- Urinary Problems During Pregnancy
- Health Conditions and Pregnancy
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Body Changes During Pregnancy
- Pregnancy
- Pregnancy: Varicose Veins
- Pregnancy: Hand Changes
- Sleep Problems During Pregnancy
- Emotional Changes During Pregnancy
- Breast Changes During Pregnancy
- Pregnancy: Hair Changes
- Pregnancy: Belly, Pelvic and Back Pain
- Pregnancy: Stretch Marks, Itching, and Skin Changes
- Pregnancy: Changes in Feet and Ankles
- Pregnancy: Vaginal Discharge and Leaking Fluid
- Interactive Tool: From Embryo to Baby in 9 Months
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Your First Trimester
- Check-ups and Tests In the First Trimester
- Embryo and Fetal Development In the First Trimester
- Medical Care During the First Trimester
- Your First Trimester - Video
- Mothers' Physical Changes in the First Trimester
- Normal Pregnancy: First Trimester
- Week 8 of Pregnancy: What's Going On Inside
- Fetal development at 8 weeks of pregnancy
- Week 12 of Pregnancy: What's Going On Inside
- Fetal development at 12 weeks of pregnancy
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Your Second Trimester
- Babies Development During the Second Trimester
- Mothers' Physical Changes During the Second Trimester
- Check-ups and Tests in the Second Trimester
- Getting Ultrasounds During Pregnancy
- Video About Your Second Trimester
- Normal Pregnancy: Second Trimester
- Week 16 of Pregnancy: What's Going On Inside /
- Fetal development at 16 weeks of pregnancy
- Week 20 of Pregnancy: What's Going On Inside
- Fetal development at 20 weeks of pregnancy
- Week 24 of Pregnancy: What's Going On Inside /
- Fetal development at 24 weeks of pregnancy
- Pregnancy: Kick Counts
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Your Third Trimester
- Check-ups and Tests in the Third Trimester
- Fetal Development in the Third Trimester
- Mothers' Physical Changes in the Third Trimester
- Prenatal Classes in the Third Trimester
- Video about Your Third Trimester
- Personal Support When You're Giving Birth
- Writing Your Birth Plan or Wishes
- Normal Pregnancy: Third Trimester
- Week 28 of Pregnancy: What's Going On Inside
- Fetal development at 28 weeks of pregnancy
- Week 32 of Pregnancy: What's Going On Inside
- Fetal development at 32 weeks of pregnancy
- Week 36 of Pregnancy: What's Going On Inside
- Fetal development at 36 weeks of pregnancy
- Week 40 of Pregnancy: What's Going On Inside
- Fetal development at 40 weeks of pregnancy
- Pregnancy: Dropping (Lightening)
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Risks and Complications During Pregnancy
- High-risk Pregnancy
- Rh Sensitization during Pregnancy
- Post-Term Pregnancy
- Abnormal Vaginal Bleeding
- Intrauterine Fetal Blood Transfusion for Rh Disease
- Miscarriage
- Special Concerns During Pregnancy
- Abruptio Placenta
- Anemia During Pregnancy
- Antiphospholipid Syndrome and Pregnancy /
- Asthma During Pregnancy
- Bedrest in Pregnancy
- Eclampsia (Seizures) and Pre-Eclampsia
- Ectopic Pregnancy
- Endometriosis
- Functional Ovarian Cysts /
- High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy
- Laparoscopic Ovarian Drilling for PCOS
- Low Amniotic Fluid
- Low-Lying Placenta
- Miscarriage: Should I Have Treatment to Complete a Miscarriage?
- Molar Pregnancy
- Passing Tissue During Pregnancy
- Placenta Previa
- Polyhydramnios
- Pre-Eclampsia
- RH Factor Pregnancy
- Special Health Concerns During Pregnancy
- Subchorionic Hemorrhage
- Toxoplasmosis During Pregnancy
- Vaginal Bleeding During Pregnancy
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Healthy Eating and Physical Activity
- Dealing with Cravings During Pregnancy
- Dietary Sources of Essential Nutrients During Pregnancy
- Exercising Safely During a Pregnancy
- Healthy Eating Guidelines for Food Safety During Pregnancy
- Healthy Eating Guidelines for Pregnancy
- Healthy Physical Activity During Pregnancy
- Healthy Vegetarian Eating During Pregnancy
- Nutrition During Pregnancy
- Pregnancy: Vegetarian Diet
- Emotional Health and Support During Pregnancy
- Safety During Pregnancy
- Alcohol and Other Drug Use During Pregnancy
- Twins and Other Multiples
- Preparing for Your Newborn
- Interactive Tool: What Is Your Due Date?
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Labour and Birth
- Labour and Delivery
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Planning Your Delivery
- Childbirth Classes
- Childbirth Planning: How to Partner With Your Doctor
- Childbirth: Labouring in Water and Water Delivery /
- Childbirth: Perineal Massage Before Labour
- Choosing Where to Give Birth Hospital or Home
- Doulas and Support During Childbirth
- Including a Doula in Your Birth Experience
- Labour Partners to Support Mothers
- Packing for Birth at a Hospital
- Pregnancy: Deciding Where to Deliver
- Vaginal Birth After Caesarean (VBAC)
- Vaginal Birth After Caesarean
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Stages of Labour
- Cervical Cerclage to Prevent Preterm Delivery
- First Stage of Labour - Early Phase
- First Stage of Labour Active Phase
- First Stage of Labour Transition Phase
- Information on Fourth Stage of Labour
- Information on Second Stage of Labour
- Information on Third Stage of Labour
- Preterm Labour and Short Cervix
- Preterm Labour
- Preterm Labour: Testing for Fetal Fibronectin
- Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes (pPROM)
- Telling Pre-Labour and True Labour Part
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During Labour
- Breathing Techniques for Childbirth
- Caesarean Birth - Overview and Facts
- Caesarean Section
- Cervical Effacement and Dilatation
- Cervical Insufficiency
- Childbirth: Epidurals
- Childbirth: Opioid Pain Medicines
- Childbirth: Pudendal and Paracervical Blocks
- Childbirth: Strep Infections During Delivery
- Comfort Positions Labour and Birth
- Epidural Anesthesia
- Epidural and Spinal Anesthesia
- Episiotomy and Perineal Tears
- Epistiotomy Vacuum and Forceps During Labour and Birth
- Fetal Monitoring During Labour HY
- Induction During Labour
- Labour Induction and Augmentation
- Local Anesthesia for Childbirth
- Pain Relief Options Labour and Birth
- Postpartum Bleeding
- Postpartum: First 6 Weeks After Childbirth
- Postural Management for Breech Position
- Practicing Breathing Techniques for Labour
- Relaxation Techniques During Labour and Birth
- Spinal Block for Childbirth
- Stillbirth
- VBAC: Labour Induction
- VBAC: Participation During Birth
- VBAC: Uterine Scar Rupture
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After Labour and Care for New Moms
- After Childbirth: Coping and Adjusting
- After Childbirth: Pelvic Bone Problems
- After Childbirth: Urination and Bowel Problems
- Birth Control for New Moms
- Childbirth Afterpains
- Concerns About Sexuality After Giving Birth
- Coping with Postpartum Depression and Anxiety
- Help with Urination After Giving Birth
- Managing Bowel Movements After Pregnancy
- Mom and Baby Staying Together
- Myths and Facts About Postpartum Depression
- New Moms and Abuse
- Nurturing Your Relationship After Giving Birth
- Postpartum Depression
- Problems After Delivery of Your Baby
- Strenghthing Your Pelvis After Birth - Kegel Exercises
- Vaginal Care After Giving Birth
- Video About Labour and Birth
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Parenting Babies (0-12 months)
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New Parents
- Advice to New Parents - staying calm
- Alcohol and Smoking After Pregnancy
- BC Healthy Connections Project
- Baby Blues
- Baby's Daily Needs: What to Expect
- Bonding With Your Baby
- Child Care Advice - New Parents
- Coping Strategies to Avoid Harming a Baby
- Coping When Your Baby Cries A Lot
- Coping with Crying
- Crying: Tired or Overstimulated
- Depression: Managing Postpartum Depression
- Fitness: Staying Active When You Have Young Children
- Infant Crying
- Maintaining a Healthy Weight After Pregnancy
- Making Sure Your Will Includes Your Baby
- Parenting With Your Partner
- Quick Tips: Baby-Proofing Your Home
- Sex After Childbirth
- Support Teams for New Parents
- Support for Single Parents During the First Year
- Taking Care of Yourself When Your Baby Is Fussy
- Tips for Soothing Babies
- Ways to Comfort a Crying Baby
- Your Body After Pregnancy
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Newborns
- Bathing and Skin Care For Newborn Babies
- Bonding With Your Newborn
- Bringing Your Newborn Baby Home
- Caring For Your Baby's Umbilical Cord
- Cognitive Growth in Newborns
- Drug Withdrawal in Newborns
- Early Days with Your Baby
- Early Detection of Liver Disease
- Early Disease Screening of Newborns
- Early Tests and Treatments for Newborns
- First 6-8 Weeks at Home with Baby - Video
- Group B Streptococcal Infections in Newborns
- Helping Your Newborn Learn
- Immunizations for Premature Infants
- Importance of Skin to Skin Contact
- Important Paperwork for Newborns
- Jaundice in Newborns (Hyperbilirubinemia)
- Kangaroo Care for Premature Infants
- Language Development in Newborns
- Meeting the Needs of Pre-Term Babies
- NICU: Communicating With the Staff
- Newborn Blood Spot Card Screening
- Newborn Rashes and Skin Conditions
- Physical Growth in Newborns
- Premature Infant
- Premature Infant: Safe Travel With Your Baby
- Preparing for Visitors - Your New Baby
- Sensory and Motor Growth in Newborns
- Special Issues With Low Weight Babies
- Tips for Diapering a Newborn Baby
- Umbilical Cord Care
- Understanding Jaundice - Newborn Babies
- Ways to Comfort a Baby in the Hospital
- What to Expect When You Have an Extremely Premature Infant
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Baby Care
- Birthmarks
- Biting
- Caring for More Than One Baby
- Caring for Your Baby's Skin and Nails
- Caring for a Baby's Nails
- Circumcision
- Circumcision: Should I Keep My Son's Penis Natural?
- Cleaning Your Young Son's Natural (Uncircumcised) Penis
- Cleft Lip
- Cleft Palate
- Club Foot
- Common Types of Birthmarks
- Creating a Healthy Emotional Attachment
- Diaper Rash
- Infant Massage
- Oral Care For Your Baby
- Positional Plagiocephaly
- Quick Tips: Getting Baby to Sleep
- Screening for Hearing Problems
- Separation Protests: Helping Your Child
- Teething and Biting
- Thumb-Sucking Versus Pacifier Use
- Tongue-Tie
- Using Soothers and Stopping When it is Time
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Breastfeeding
- A Video on Breastfeeding Positions
- A Video on Breastfeeding and Skin-to-Skin Contact
- A Video on Hand Expressing Breastmilk
- Abuse When You're Breastfeeding
- Baby's First Breastmilk - Colostrum
- Breast Engorgement
- Breast Surgery and Breastfeeding
- Breastfeeding After Breast Surgery
- Breastfeeding After a C-Section
- Breastfeeding During Pregnancy
- Breastfeeding Multiple Infants
- Breastfeeding Positions
- Breastfeeding Support for New Mothers
- Breastfeeding With Inverted Nipples
- Breastfeeding Your Newborn and an Older Child
- Breastfeeding a Sick Baby
- Breastfeeding and Its Relationship to Culture
- Breastfeeding and Returning to Work
- Breastfeeding and Your Milk Supply
- Breastfeeding at Work
- Breastfeeding
- Breastfeeding: Baby's Poor Weight Gain
- Breastfeeding: Planning Ahead
- Breastfeeding: Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drugs
- Breastfeeding: Waking Your Baby
- Breastfeeding: When Baby Doesn't Want to Stop
- Caring for Damaged Nipples When You're Breastfeeding
- Common Breastfeeding Concerns
- Common Breastfeeding Positions
- Coping With Thrush When You’re Breastfeeding
- Develop a Breastfeeding Plan
- Experiencing Let-Down Reflex
- FAQs About Breastfeeding
- Flat or Inverted Nipples
- Get Started on Expressing Breastmilk
- Getting Comfortable Breastfeeding in Public
- Getting back to Breastfeeding
- Hospital Policies and Breastfeeding
- Latching Your Baby - Video
- Learning Basics of Breastfeeding
- Learning to Latch
- Managing Engorgement
- Managing Mastitis
- Mastitis While Breastfeeding
- Medications and Herbal Products for Breastfeeding Moms
- Medicine Use While Breastfeeding
- Milk Oversupply
- Nipple Shields for Breastfeeding Problems
- Nutrition While Breastfeeding
- Oxytocin
- Partner Support for Breastfeeding
- Physical Activity and Breastfeeding
- Plugged Milk Ducts When You're Breastfeeding
- Poor Let-Down While Breastfeeding
- Preventing Mastitis
- Pumping Breast Milk
- Quick Tips: Successful Breastfeeding
- Signs That Your Baby Is Getting Enough Breast Milk
- Sleep, Rest, and Breastfeeding
- Storing Breast Milk
- Storing and Using Breastmilk
- Tips for Breastfeeding Preterm Babies
- Under or Over Production of Milk During Breastfeeding
- Vitamin D Supplements for Breastfeeding Babies
- What you need to Know About Supplementing Baby Formula
- Your Milk Supply
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Feeding Your Baby
- Alternative Feeding Methods for Newborns
- Baby Feeding Cues - Video
- Bottle-Feeding: When Baby Doesn't Want to Stop
- Burping a Baby
- Choosing Baby Bottles and Nipples
- Cleft Palate: Feeding Your Baby
- Combining Breastfeeding and Formula-Feeding
- Cup-Feeding Baby With Breast Milk or Formula
- Feeding Schedule for Babies
- Feeding Your Child Using Division of Responsibility
- Feeding Your Infant
- Feeding Your Premature Infant
- Food Allergies, Your Baby's First Year
- Getting Started and Feeding Cues
- How Often and How Long to Feed
- Introducing Solid Foods to Your Baby
- Learn More Before You Supplement Formula
- Safe Drinking Water - Your Baby's First Year
- Safe Water for Mixing Infant Formula
- Signs of a Good Feed
- Spitting Up
- Vitamin D Supplements for Babies - First Year
- Weaning
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Baby Health
- Abdominal Gas and Colic
- Blocked Tear Ducts: Should My Baby Have a Probing Procedure?
- Bowel Movements in Babies
- Cataracts in Children
- Chronic Lung Disease in Infants
- Colic Diary
- Colic
- Colic: Harmful Treatments
- Comforting a Child Who Has a Respiratory Illness
- Common Health Concerns for Babies First Year
- Cough Symptoms in Children
- Cradle Cap
- Croup
- Croup: Managing a Croup Attack
- Crying Child That Is Not Acting Normally
- Dehydration: Drinking Enough Fluids
- Dental Care From 6 Months to 3 Years
- Dental Care From Birth to 6 Months
- Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip
- Developmental Problems: Testing
- Failure to Thrive
- Gastroesophageal Reflux in Babies and Children
- Health and Safety, Birth to 2 Years
- Healthy Hearing and Vision For Babies
- Immunization, Your Baby's First Year
- Orchiopexy for Undescended Testicle
- Reducing Biting in Children Ages 8 to 14 Months
- Reducing Biting in Teething Babies
- Teething Products
- Teething: Common Concerns
- Treating Asthma in Babies and Younger Children
- Understanding Flat Spots on Babies' Heads
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Baby Growth and Development
- Babies Physical Development 0-6 Months
- Babies Physical Development 6-9 Months
- Babies Physical Development 9-12 Months
- Babies Social and Emotional Development 0-6 Months
- Babies Social and Emotional Development 6-9 Months
- Babies Social and Emotional Development 9-12 Months
- Babies and Language Development 6-9 Months
- Babies and Language Development 9-12 Months
- Children's Growth Chart
- Cognitive Development 0-6 Months
- Cognitive Development 9-12 mos
- Cognitive Development First 6-9 Mos
- Emotional and Social Growth in Newborns
- Growth and Development Milestones
- Growth and Development, Newborn
- Importance of Tummy Time for Babies' Development
- Speech and Language Milestones, Birth to 1 Year
- Stimulate Your Baby's Learning
- Tooth Development in Children
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Baby Safety
- Babies' Sleep Position and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
- Baby Proofing Your Home First Year
- Choking Rescue for Babies
- Choosing and Using Baby Carriers Safely
- Safer Sleep for My Baby
- Crib Safety
- Risks and Concerns Around Bed Sharing
- Safe Chairs for Baby's First Year
- Safe Use of Strollers for Babies
- Safely Using Walkers, Playpens and Jumpers
- Safer Sleeping
- Safety at Home for Baby's First Year
- Shaken Baby Syndrome
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
- Sun Safety Babies for their First Year
- Physical Activity for Babies in the First Year
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New Parents
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Parenting Toddlers (12-36 months)
- Mealtime and Your Toddler
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Caring for Your Toddler
- Acetaminophen Use in Young Children
- Breath-Holding Spells
- Breath-Holding Spells: Keeping a Record
- Brushing and Flossing a Child's Teeth
- Care for Toddlers' Colds and Coughs
- Crying, Age 3 and Younger
- Dealing with Dawdling and Whining in Toddlers
- Dealing with Toddlers' Challenging Behaviour - General
- Dental Care and Teething in Toddlers
- Egocentric and Magical Thinking
- Handwashing Advice for Parents of Toddlers
- Healthcare resources for sick toddlers
- Hearing Health for Toddlers
- Ibuprofen Use in Young Children
- Managing Your Toddler's Frustrating Behaviours
- Positive Parenting
- Preparing Your Toddler for Health Care Visits
- Preventing Breath-Holding Spells in Children
- Promoting Positive Behaviour in Your Toddler
- Protecting Your Toddlers Vision
- Toddler Tantrums
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Toddler Growth and Development
- Cognitive Development 18-24 Months
- Cognitive Development, Ages 1 to 12 Months
- Cognitive Development, Ages 12 to 24 Months
- Different Types of Play
- Emotional Development
- Emotional and Social Development, Ages 1 to 12 Months
- Emotional and Social Development, Ages 12 to 24 Months
- Growth and Development, Ages 1 to 12 Months
- Growth and Development, Ages 12 to 24 Months
- Growth and Development, Ages 2 to 5 Years
- Language Development 12-18 Months
- Language Development 18-24 Months
- Language Development 24-30 Months
- Learning Through Play for Toddlers
- Learning to Use the Toilet
- Milestones for 2-Year-Olds
- Milestones for 3-Year-Olds
- My Toddler Ready for Toilet Training
- Outdoor Play
- Physical Development of Toddlers From 12-18 months
- Physical Development, Ages 1 to 12 Months
- Physical Development, Ages 12 to 24 Months
- Physical Development: 3-4 Years
- Physical Development: 4-5 Years
- Sensory and Motor Development, Ages 1 to 12 Months
- Sensory and Motor Development, Ages 12 to 24 Months
- Speech and Language Development: Helping Your 1- to 2-Year-Old
- Speech and Language Milestones, Ages 1 to 3 Years
- Toddler Play 12-24 Months
- Toddler Play 24-36 Months
- Toddler Play Activities
- Toddler's Cognitive Development From 18-24 Months
- Toddler's Cognitive Development From 30-36 Months
- Toddlers Language Development 30-36 Months
- Toddlers Physical Development 18-24 Months
- Toddlers Physical Development 24-30 Months
- Toddlers Physical Development 30-36 Months
- Toddlers Social and Emotional Development 12-18 Months
- Toddlers Social and Emotional Development 18-24 months
- Toddlers Social and Emotional Development 30-36 Months
- Toddlers social and Emotional Development 24-30 months
- Toddlers' Cognitive Development From 12-18 Months
- Toddlers' Cognitive Development From 24-30 Months
- Toilet Training
- Toilet Training: Knowing When Your Child Is Ready
- Understanding your Toddlers Development
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Toddler Safety
- Bathroom Safety For Toddlers
- Bed Safety Toddlers Age 3
- Bicyles Tricylces and Helmets for Toddlers
- Childproofing your Home
- Falls Prevention for Toddlers
- Fire and Burn Prevention for Toddlers
- Keeping Surfaces Clean
- Keeping Your Toddler Safe Around Pets
- Kitchen Safety for Toddlers
- Playground Safety for Toddlers
- Poison Prevention for Toddlers
- Safety Outdoors in the Cold for Toddlers
- Safety for Your Toddler in the Community
- Saftey for Toddlers in the Heat and Sun
- Staying Calm Through Challenging Behaviours
- Streetproofiing Tips for Your Toddler
- Toddler Safety Near Swimming Pools
- Toy Safety for Toddlers
- Water Safety for Toddlers
- Your Toddler: Safe Ways to Explore
- Agreeing on Parenting Styles
- Toddler Sleep
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Parenting Preschoolers (3-5 years)
- Mealtime and Your Preschooler
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Caring for Your Preschooler
- Connecting with your preschooler and Building Self-Esteem
- Connecting with your preschooler and building coping skills
- Connecting with your preschooler and developing social skills
- Crying in preschool
- Daytime Accidental Wetting
- Dental Care: 3 Years to 6 Years
- Dental care for preschoolers
- Health and Safety, Ages 2 to 5 Years
- Learning to Share Preschool
- Praise and Encouragement
- Preschoolers: Building Self-Control
- Preschoolers: Building Social Skills
- Preschoolers: Building a Sense of Security
- Preschoolers: Encouraging Independence
- Preschoolers: Helping Your Child Explore
- Preventing Tooth Decay in Young Children
- Talking and Listening - Preschool
- Temper Tantrums in Preschool
- Temper Tantrums
- Temper Tantrums: Keeping a Record
- Thumb-Sucking: Helping Your Child Stop
- Your Child and the Dentist
- Good Sleep Habits: 10 Tips
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Preschooler Growth and Development
- Emotional Development, Ages 2 to 5 Years
- Encouraging Language Development in Your Preschooler
- Encouraging Preschoolers creative and artistic development
- How Reading Helps Language Development
- How to Teach Your Child by Example
- Language Development 3-4 Years
- Language Development 4-5 Years
- Language Development Amazing Journey Preschool
- Language Development: 5-6 years
- Milestones for 4-Year-Olds
- Milestones for 5-Year-Olds
- Preschooler Development 3-4 Years
- Preschooler Play
- Preschooler development 4-5 years
- Speech Problems: Normal Disfluency
- Speech and Language Delays: Common Misconceptions 49
- Speech and Language Development
- Speech and Language Development: Red Flags
- Speech and Language Milestones, Ages 3 to 5 Years
- Stuttering
- Thumb-Sucking
- Why Play is Important in Preschool
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Parenting School-Age Children (6-11 years)
- Mealtime for School-Age Children
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Caring for Your School-Age Child
- About Self Esteem and Children
- Active Listening for Children
- Bedwetting
- Building Kids Resilience
- Childhood Fears and Exposure to Violence
- Connecting With Your School-age Child
- Conversation Skills Children talking and Listening
- Conversations that Teach Children Resilience
- Dental Care for School-Age Children
- Don't Stop Having Conversations With Kids
- Establishing Limits With Your School-Age Child
- Explaining Alcohol to Kids
- Friends and Friendship
- Help Your School-Age Child Develop Social Skills
- Helping Your School-Age Child Learn About the Body
- How School-Age Children Communicate
- How to Communicate with your School Age Children
- Problem Solving Strategies
- Problem Solving for Children
- Quick Tips: Using Backpacks Safely
- Sample School Plan
- School Mornings
- Self-Esteem, Ages 6 to 10
- Talking About Tough Topics
- Why Talking is Important
- Back to School
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School-Age Children Growth and Development 6-11
- Growing Pains
- Growth and Development, Ages 6 to 10 Years
- Learning Disabilities
- Milestones for 10-Year-Olds
- Milestones for 6-Year-Olds
- Milestones for 7-Year-Olds
- Milestones for 8-Year-Olds
- Milestones for 9-Year-Olds
- School-Age Children Creative and Artistic Development - what to expect
- School-Age Children and Play
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Parenting Teens (12-18 years)
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Teen Growth and Development
- Adolescent Sensory and Motor Development
- Cognitive Development, Ages 15 to 18 Years
- Emotional and Social Development, Ages 11 to 14 Years
- Emotional and Social Development, Ages 15 to 18 Years
- Growth and Development, Ages 11 to 14 Years
- Growth and Development, Ages 15 to 18 Years
- Menarche
- Menstruation: Not Having a Period by Age 15
- Milestones for Ages 11 to 14
- Milestones for Ages 15 to 18
- Physical Development, Ages 11 to 14 Years /
- Physical Development, Ages 15 to 18 Years
- Puberty Issues
- Teenage Sleep Patterns
- Your Teen's Changing Body
-
Caring for Your Teen
- A Guide for Teens and Alcohol
- Confidence in Teenagers
- Conversations that Teach Resilience
- Dealing with Disrespectful Teenage Behaviour
- Extracurricular Activities, Interests and Hobbies For Teenagers
- Getting Teens Involved in Community Activities
- Health Body Image
- Help Your Working Teen Balance Responsibilities and Set Priorities
- Helping Adolescents Develop More Mature Ways of Thinking
- Helping Your Child Transition Into Middle School or Junior High
- Helping Your Teen Become a Safe Driver
- Hosting Safe Teen Parties
- How to Get Back on Track After Conflict with Teenagers
- How to Start a Conversation with Teens About Alcohol
- If Your Teen is Drinking
- Medical Checkups for Adolescents
- Practicing Good Learning Skills with Teenagers
- Resilience: Helping Your Teenager Cope With Challenges
- Responsibilities
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Topic Overview
Is this topic for you?
This topic covers how preterm labour affects the pregnant woman. If you want to know how it affects the baby after he or she is born, see the topic Premature Infant.
What is preterm labour?
Preterm labour is labour that comes too early—between 20 and 37 weeks of pregnancy.
In labour, the uterus contracts to open the cervix. This is the first stage of childbirth.
Preterm labour is also called premature labour.
What are the risks of preterm labour and preterm birth?
The earlier a baby is delivered, the higher the chances are that he or she will have serious problems. This is because many of the baby's organs—especially the heart and lungs—aren't fully grown yet.
For infants born before 24 weeks of pregnancy, the chances of survival are extremely slim. Many who do survive have long-term health problems. They may also have trouble with learning and talking and with moving their body (poor motor skills).
What causes preterm labour?
Causes of preterm labour include:
- The placenta separating early from the uterus. This is called abruptio placenta.
- Being pregnant with more than one baby, such as twins or triplets.
- An infection in the mother's uterus that leads to the start of labour.
- Problems with the uterus or cervix.
- Drug or alcohol use during pregnancy.
- The mother's water (amniotic fluid) breaking before contractions start.
Often the cause isn't known.
Sometimes a doctor uses medicine or other methods to start labour early because of pregnancy problems that are dangerous to the mother or her baby.
What are the symptoms?
It can be hard to tell when labour starts, especially when it starts early. So watch for these symptoms:
- Regular contractions for an hour. This means about 6 or more within 1 hour, even after you have had a glass of water and are resting.
- Leaking or gushing of fluid from your vagina. You may notice that it is pink or reddish. This is called a rupture of membranes, also known as your water breaking. When this happens before contractions start, it's called prelabour rupture of membranes, or PROM. When it happens before 37 weeks of pregnancy, it is called preterm prelabour rupture of membranes, or pPROM.
- Pain that feels like menstrual cramps, with or without diarrhea.
- A feeling of pressure in your pelvis or lower belly.
- A dull ache in your lower back, pelvic area, lower belly, or thighs that doesn't go away.
- Not feeling well, including having a fever you can't explain and being overly tired. Your belly may hurt when you press on it.
If your contractions stop, they may have been Braxton Hicks contractions. These are a sometimes uncomfortable—but not painful—tightening of the uterus. They are like practice contractions. But sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference.
How is preterm labour diagnosed?
If you think you have symptoms of preterm labour, call your doctor or registered midwife. He or she can check to see if your water has broken, if you have an infection, or if your cervix is starting to dilate.
You may also have urine and blood tests to check for problems that can cause preterm labour.
Checking the baby's heartbeat and doing an ultrasound can give your doctor or midwife a good picture of how your baby is doing.
You may have a painless swab test for a protein in the vagina called fetal fibronectin. If the test doesn't find the protein, then you are unlikely to deliver soon. But the test can't tell for certain if you are about to have a preterm birth.
How is it treated?
If you are in preterm labour, your doctor or registered midwife must compare the risks of early delivery with the risks of waiting to deliver. Depending on your situation, your doctor or midwife may:
- Try to delay the birth with medicine. This may or may not work.
- Use antibiotics to treat or prevent infection. If your amniotic sac has broken early, you have a high risk of infection and must be watched closely.
- Give you steroid medicine to help prepare your baby's lungs for birth.
- Treat any other medical problems causing trouble in pregnancy.
- Allow the labour to go on because delivery is safer for the mother and baby than letting the pregnancy go on.
Cause
Preterm labour can be caused by a problem involving the baby, the mother, or both. Often a combination of several factors is responsible. But in about 1 out of 3 preterm births, the cause isn't known.footnote 1
Causes of preterm labour include:
- Being pregnant with more than one baby. Women who are pregnant with more than one baby have an increased risk of complications—both for the mother and the babies—and typically deliver early.
-
Infection, which can trigger uterine contractions and preterm prelabour rupture of membranes (pPROM). This may include:
- Infections that begin in the vagina, such as bacterial vaginosis (BV).
- Infections that begin in the urinary tract, such as a urinary tract infection.
- Gum disease.
- Abruptio placenta . This is the early separation of the placenta from the uterus.
- The use of drugs such as cocaine or methamphetamine.
- Problems with the uterus or cervix, such as:
Symptoms
Preterm labour often starts without obvious symptoms. But you may notice one or more symptoms, including:
- Menstrual-like cramps, with or without diarrhea.
- A feeling of pressure in your pelvis or lower belly.
- A persistent, dull ache in your lower back, pelvic area, lower belly, or thighs.
- Changes in your vaginal discharge, which may increase in amount or become pink or reddish.
- Regular contractions. This means about 6 or more within 1 hour, even after you have had a glass of water and are resting.
- Not feeling well. This may include:
- Having a fever that you can't explain.
- Feeling unusually tired.
- Feeling pain in your belly when you press on it.
It is sometimes hard to tell the difference between Braxton Hicks contractions and preterm labour contractions.
You may have one or more of these symptoms and not be in preterm labour. But if you are concerned, talk to your doctor or midwife.
What Happens
If preterm labour occurs close to your due date (in the 35th or 36th week of pregnancy), you may be allowed to deliver without delay. Preterm birth at this point in a pregnancy doesn't usually cause serious problems.
But preterm labour doesn't always mean that preterm birth will happen. Your doctor may be able to stop your preterm labour.
When preterm labour can't be stopped, most women can deliver vaginally. But if your health or your baby's health is at risk, you may need a caesarean section.
Premature infant
A baby born too early may have complications, such as bleeding in the brain or chronic lung disease. The earlier a baby is born, the higher the risk.
Your doctors can prepare you for what may lie ahead. They can base this on your condition and how many weeks pregnant you will be when you give birth.
Thanks to improved medical care, more premature infants are surviving today than in years past. For more information, see the topic Premature Infant.
What Increases Your Risk
A risk factor is anything that increases your chances of having a problem.
Risk factors related to your pregnancy
- Pregnancy with twins, triplets, or more.
- Infection in the urinary or reproductive tract, including the vagina.
- Shortened cervix or incompetent cervix.
Risk factors related to your medical history
- A past preterm delivery.
- Previous surgery on your cervix, such as a cone biopsy. Having a loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) also may increase preterm labour risk.footnote 2 But experts don't know for sure if the increased risk is from the surgery itself or the problems with the cervix that led to surgery.footnote 3
Other risk factors
- Being younger than 18 years.
- Cigarette smoking during pregnancy.
- Use of cocaine or methamphetamine.
When should you call your doctor?
Preterm labour can be hard to recognize. Get the earliest possible medical care by calling your doctor or your midwife about signs of preterm labour.
Anytime during your pregnancy
Call your doctor or your midwife if:
- Your water breaks.
- You have bleeding or spotting from your vagina.
- You have painful or frequent urination or your urine is cloudy, foul-smelling, or bloody.
Between 20 and 37 weeks of your pregnancy
Call your doctor, your midwife, or the labour and delivery unit of your local hospital if:
- You have had regular contractions for an hour. This means about 6 or more in 1 hour, even after you have had a glass of water and are resting.
- You have unexplained low back pain or pelvic pressure.
- You have symptoms of infection. For example:
- Your belly hurts when you press on it.
- You have a fever that you can't explain.
- You feel unusually tired.
- You have intestinal cramps.
- The baby has stopped moving or is moving much less than normal. Your doctor can tell you about kick counting, which you can use to check your baby's activity.
Watchful waiting
If you are having painless or mild contractions that are irregular or more than 15 minutes apart:
- Stop what you are doing.
- Empty your bladder.
- Drink 2 or 3 glasses of water or juice. (Having too little body fluid can cause contractions.)
- Lie down on your left side for at least an hour, and keep track of how often you have contractions.
If your contractions stop, they were probably Braxton Hicks contractions. These are harmless and normal. Braxton Hicks contractions are often irregularly timed and uncomfortable rather than painful.
Call your doctor or midwife if you start to have regular contractions.
Examinations and Tests
If you have symptoms of preterm labour, both you and your baby will be examined and monitored.
Information from these examinations and tests can help you and your doctor or midwife decide whether to treat early labour and delay the birth or let it continue.
For the mother
You will be examined for tenderness in your uterus. Your temperature, pulse, and rate of breathing will be checked. Depending on your symptoms, you may have one or more examinations or tests, including:
-
Vaginal smear
. This test looks for:
- Infection. Having an infection in the vagina can cause infection in your uterus. And that can trigger preterm labour as well as serious infection in the newborn.
- Amniotic fluid. Finding this fluid in the vagina means that your water has broken.
- Fetal fibronectin. When the test is negative, it is unlikely that you are having preterm labour. This test isn't used in all labour and delivery units.
- Vaginal examination. You'll be checked to see if the contractions have begun to open (dilate) or thin (efface) your cervix.
- Ultrasound to check the length of your cervix.
- Other tests for infection, such as a blood test, urine test, and urine culture.
For the baby
Tests include:
Treatment Overview
Preterm labour isn't always treated. When deciding whether—and how—to treat it, your doctor or midwife will think about:
- Your baby's weight and age. Ideally, preterm labour is delayed until a baby is mature enough to avoid problems after birth. When a pregnancy is nearing term (about 37 or more weeks), preterm labour is usually allowed to continue until delivery.
- Your health. Very high blood pressure, severe pre-eclampsia, HELLP syndrome, chronic disease, infection, or heavy bleeding can make it necessary to deliver right away.
- Your baby's health. Signs of fetal distress or illness can make it necessary to deliver right away.
- The stage of your labour and how fast it's moving along. For example, when your cervix is well effaced and dilated, medicine to slow labour is less likely to work.
- The distance to the nearest neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). If there is a good chance that you could be taken to the NICU, your doctor may try to slow labour.
If your water hasn't broken, you will be observed for at least an hour or two to see if your contractions continue and your cervix changes (opens and thins). If your cervix doesn't change, or if your contractions stop or slow down, you may be sent home.
If your cervix changes, you will be admitted to the labour and delivery unit.
In the hospital, your doctor or midwife may use medicines to:
- Slow or stop contractions.
- Treat infection.
- Help the baby's lungs mature.
- Help protect your baby's brain. If you're less than 32 weeks pregnant, your doctor or midwife may give you medicine to help prevent some problems that affect your baby's brain, such as cerebral palsy.footnote 4
For more information, see Medications.
Prevention
It's hard to prevent preterm labour, because it usually isn't expected. Also, it's often due to causes that aren't completely understood.
But building some healthy pregnancy habits—such as going to all of your doctor appointments and getting enough folic acid— may help prevent preterm labour and give your baby the best chance to be healthy.
Being pregnant with twins, triplets, or more increases the chances of preterm labour and problems for the babies.
Progesterone shots
If you had preterm labour in a previous pregnancy, your risk for having it again is high. Your doctor may consider giving you weekly progesterone shots during your second and third trimesters. Research shows that these shots may help lower your risk of preterm labour.footnote 3
But if you're pregnant with twins or more, progesterone treatment is generally not used to prevent preterm labour even if you had a previous preterm birth. Research has not shown that progesterone shots prevent preterm birth in women pregnant with more than one baby.footnote 5
Home Treatment
Symptoms of preterm labour are warning signs. They don't necessarily mean that you'll have a preterm birth.
If you're less than 37 weeks pregnant and you're having more or stronger contractions than usual, try these things:
- Drink 2 or 3 glasses of water or juice. Not having enough liquids can cause contractions.
- Stop what you are doing, and empty your bladder. Then lie down on your left side for at least 1 hour.
- If your contractions get worse during the hour, call your doctor or midwife, or go to the hospital.
- Try to remember what you were doing when the symptoms started so that you can avoid starting the contractions again later.
Although stress isn't thought to be a direct cause of preterm labour, do what you can to reduce stress in your life. Try to do less, ask for help, and eat well.
Bedrest
Strict bedrest is no longer used to prevent preterm labour. But your doctor may recommend expectant management, which may involve some bedrest.
Medications
If your contractions are causing changes in your cervix or if you have signs of preterm prelabour rupture of membranes (pPROM), you may be given medicines to help delay delivery.
Delaying labour even for a short time can allow you to be:
- Moved to a medical centre that has a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
- Given medicine to speed up lung development, which takes at least 48 hours to fully benefit the baby's lungs. Even 24 hours provides some benefit.
Medication choices
- Antibiotics, to prevent or treat infection.
- Antenatal corticosteroids, to help prepare the fetus's lungs for preterm birth.
-
Tocolytic medicines
, to stop preterm labour. Examples include:
- Indomethacin.
- Nifedipine.
Certain tocolytic medicines can be dangerous when a fetus is showing signs of distress or for women with certain health conditions (such as heart problems, severe pre-eclampsia, or poorly controlled diabetes or high blood pressure).
Surgery
Cervical cerclage is the placement of stitches in the cervix to hold it closed during pregnancy. It is meant to stop the cervix from opening early, which could lead to miscarriage or preterm birth.
It isn't used to treat preterm labour. But for a woman who has had a preterm birth in the past because her cervix didn't stay closed, cervical cerclage may prevent another preterm birth.footnote 6
Related Information
References
Citations
- Haas DM (2011). Preterm birth, search date June 2010. BMJ Clinical Evidence. Available online: http://www.clinicalevidence.com.
- Samson SA, et al. (2005). The effect of loop electrosurgical excision procedure on future pregnancy outcomes. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 105(2): 325–332.
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (2012). Prediction and prevention of preterm birth. ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 130. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 120(4): 964–973.
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (2012). Management of preterm labor. ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 127. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 119(6): 1308–1317.
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (2012). Management of preterm labor. ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 127. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 119(6): 1308–1317.
- Haas DM (2011). Preterm birth, search date June 2010. BMJ Clinical Evidence. Available online: http://www.clinicalevidence.com.
Other Works Consulted
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (2007, reaffirmed 2012). Premature rupture of membranes. ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 80. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 109(4): 1007–1019.
- McDonald S, et al. (2005). Perinatal outcomes of in vitro fertilization twins: A systematic review and meta-analyses. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 193: 141–152.
- Murphy KE, et al. (2008). Multiple courses of antenatal corticosteroids for preterm birth (MACS): A randomised controlled trial. Lancet, 372(9656): 2143–2151.
- Simhan HN, et al. (2014). Preterm labor and birth. In RK Creasy et al., eds., Creasy and Resnik's Maternal-Fetal Medicine, 7th ed., pp. 624–653. Philadelphia: Saunders.
- U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (2008). Screening for Bacterial Vaginosis in Pregnancy to Prevent Preterm Delivery: Recommendation Statement. Available online: http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf08/bv/bvrs.htm.
- Yost NP, et al. (2006). Effect of coitus on recurrent preterm birth. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 107(4): 793–797.
Credits
Current as of: June 16, 2021
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
Sarah Marshall MD - Family Medicine
Thomas M. Bailey MD - Family Medicine
Adam Husney MD - Family Medicine
Kathleen Romito MD - Family Medicine
Elizabeth T. Russo MD - Internal Medicine
William Gilbert MD - Maternal and Fetal Medicine
Kirtly Jones MD - Obstetrics and Gynecology
Current as of: June 16, 2021
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:Sarah Marshall MD - Family Medicine & Thomas M. Bailey MD - Family Medicine & Adam Husney MD - Family Medicine & Kathleen Romito MD - Family Medicine & Elizabeth T. Russo MD - Internal Medicine & William Gilbert MD - Maternal and Fetal Medicine & Kirtly Jones MD - Obstetrics and Gynecology
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