Contractions are when the muscles of your uterus tighten and relax to get ready for childbirth. These muscles help push your baby down the birth canal. Once you reach week 37 of your pregnancy, it ...

Labor contractions are the physical way your uterus tightens to promote delivery of your baby. All body muscles tighten and shorten (contract) when they’re being used. And the uterus is one of the ...

Braxton-Hicks contractions are contractions that do not lead to delivery but can give you the false sensation that you are in labor. They may come and go without getting stronger or closer together.

An irritable uterus, or uterine irritability, produces frequent and sometimes uncomfortable contractions for pregnant individuals. Although people often confuse uterine irritability with “false labor, ...

Muscle contraction is the tightening, shortening, or lengthening of muscles when you do some activity. It can happen when you hold or pick up something, or when you stretch or exercise with weights.

Cervical examination is relatively contraindicated in women with preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM), limiting our ability to determine the onset of labor by traditional definition ...