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You are here : Healthopedia.com > Medical Encyclopedia > Diseases and Conditions > False Labor: Prevention & Expectations
      Category : Health Centers > Pregnancy and Childbirth

False Labor

Alternate Names : Prelabor, Braxton Hicks Contractions, Prodromal Labor, Latent Phase

False Labor | Symptoms & Signs | Diagnosis & Tests | Prevention & Expectations | Treatment & Monitoring | Attribution


What can be done to prevent the condition?

No prevention is needed because Braxton Hicks contractions are normal. The uterus contracts throughout pregnancy.

What are the long-term effects of the condition?

False labor can cause pain severe enough to create breathlessness and the need to sit down. It is not uncommon for a woman to think she is in labor, and go to the hospital, only to be sent home again.

Sometimes Braxton Hicks contractions can last for several weeks, and the woman can become anxious and exhausted. This can lead to a vicious cycle that makes progress into labor more difficult.


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False Labor: Diagnosis & Tests

 

False Labor: Treatment & Monitoring

Author: Dr. Karen Wolfe, MBBS, MA
Reviewer: Gail Hendrickson, RN, BS
Date Reviewed: 07/01/01









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Page Last Updated: 30th May, 2006