Symptoms and causes of uterine contractions during childbirth

Uterine contractions during normal childbirth have become a common symptom among female friends after childbirth. This is a relatively common phenomenon, but it will affect friends' mental and physical health as well as their normal work and study. This makes many friends feel confused and worried, but many people are not clear about the causes and symptoms of uterine contractions during normal delivery. So, what are the symptoms and causes of uterine contractions during normal delivery? This is a question that everyone is curious about. Below, we will explore it and hope it will be helpful to everyone:

1. Symptoms and signs

The fetal movement of primiparas occurs at around 20-24 weeks, and earlier for multiparas, around 16 weeks. In addition to the mother's feeling of the fetus rolling in the uterus, the fetus's back or hands and feet will push against the uterine wall due to the movement, causing part of the uterus to harden or deform. This is a normal phenomenon.

In addition, in the weeks before delivery, the uterus will have spontaneous uterine contractions called Broaxtons.

Hick's contraction may occur several times a day. This is a normal false pain phenomenon and is not a big deal. Just rest more.

However, before full term, if the uterus has a regular feeling of tightness every hour, such as once every 10 or 15 minutes, and if it does not improve after bed rest, then this is early uterine contraction. If it has not reached 37 weeks, it is likely to cause premature birth, and you need to rest in bed or go to the hospital immediately for appropriate treatment.

2 Causes

Why do uterine contractions often occur during pregnancy? During pregnancy, due to the growth and development of the fetus and the needs of subsequent delivery, a series of adaptive physiological changes occur in various systems of the mother, among which the uterus of the reproductive system changes the most obvious.

The uterus nurtures the fetus. As the fetus grows and the placenta produces hormones, the uterus becomes significantly larger and softer. The capacity of the uterine cavity increases 1,000 times, and the weight of the uterus increases 20 times. The main histological changes are hypertrophy of uterine muscle cells, with the cytoplasm filled with contractile actin and myosin, which provide the material conditions for uterine contraction after delivery. The isthmus of the uterus is located inside the cervical canal and is about 0.8-1.0 cm long when not pregnant. After pregnancy, as the uterus grows, the isthmus gradually stretches, becomes longer and thinner, and expands to become part of the uterine cavity, forming the lower segment of the uterus, which can stretch to 7-10 cm during labor.

3 Categories

The uterus often contracts during pregnancy, which can be divided into physiological and pathological types.

Physiological

Physiological uterine contractions can occur from 12 to 14 weeks of pregnancy, manifesting as irregular, painless contractions. Pregnant women can feel their abdomen tightening and they can also feel the hardening of the uterus from the abdomen. The number of contractions per day is sparse. Later, as the pregnancy progresses, the frequency and intensity of contractions increase, but there is no regularity, and the intensity will not cause the intrauterine pressure to exceed 2KPa, so there is no pain of labor contractions. Under the action of physiological uterine contractions, the lower segment of the uterus is gradually formed, the cervix tends to soften and mature, and gradually transitions to uterine contractions after delivery.

Pathological

Pathological uterine contractions are seen in miscarriage or premature birth. Pathological uterine contractions during pregnancy are relatively strong and can cause the intrauterine pressure to exceed 2KPa, so they are all painful contractions. Miscarriage is often accompanied by uterine bleeding, while premature birth is characterized by uterine regularity and effectiveness. If not treated in time, the cervix will shorten, the cervix will dilate, and there will be bloody vaginal discharge, and the threatened premature birth will develop into inevitable premature birth.

4 Safety Tips

When uterine contractions occur during pregnancy, attention should be paid to the frequency and duration of contractions. Once the contractions become regular and painful, they have exceeded the scope of physiological contractions and entered a pathological state.

After listening to the above description, everyone should know the symptoms and causes of uterine contractions during normal delivery. I believe that my friends have already understood this, and I hope it will be helpful to everyone. Let us better master the knowledge of uterine contractions during normal delivery. We should take correct measures to prevent it, so that we can have a healthy body.