Actual triggers for premature contractions/labor?

[aikigypsy]

I have been diagnosed with placenta previa at 28-ish weeks, and I've been reading about it all over the internet. I've had no bleeding, but at this point I think I need to take it seriously. Many doctors seem to advise refraining from strenuous activity and lifting anything over 20 pounds, but the CNM I go to has only put me on pelvic rest.

I get that semen is a cervical ripener, and that we don't want that right now, but I'm wondering if that's all I really need to avoid. I haven't found sex to irritate my cervix lately, but things are getting more crowded down there, so I can see how it might be a problem.

Are there any studies which conclusively link activity level to the onset of premature labor? Independent of weight gain, etc?

Does lifting heavy things actually affect the uterus, or is it still just a matter of being careful with other muscles and joints because of relaxin etc.?

Also, how about RRL tea and contractions? I'm wondering if it's safe to get back on RRL tea.

TIA!

[Defenestrator]

It isn't so much avoiding preterm labor that needs to happen with placenta previa, but rather avoiding disturbing the placenta. Anything that could make heavy forces on the uterus (the lifting) or disturb the cervix (penetrative sex) is a no-no until you are far enough along that if there is bad bleeding (and in the two cases of placenta previa bleeding I've seen it was hemorrhage-like), the baby could be delivered safely by c-section and not be premature. If there is blood from an abrupted placenta it usually causes labor too because blood is irritating to the uterus.

[BirthTender]

Actual triggers for premature labor

Another actual trigger for premature labor, placenta previa or not, is a urinary tract infection. That is a big trigger for premature labor.

[mwherbs]

infections and inflammation can trigger PTL


I know I have read something more recent but on quick look here is an older reference/ full text article on lifting heavy weights in pregnancy

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...3/?tool=pubmed


the 94 review of the subject says we don't know enough about what all triggers labor so cannot be sure about reviewing the info for accuracy -

here is a quote from an abstract- infection is less the deal than inflammation- ( so everything from dental health to probiotics have an impact on over all inflammation rates)
"Patients with placenta previa presenting with vaginal bleeding have intra-amniotic infection in 5.7% of the cases, and IAI in 17.9%. IAI in patients with placenta previa and vaginal bleeding is a risk factor for preterm delivery within 48 h."

[MeepyCat]

Not a professional of any kind, but speaking from experience...

In my case, although I thought for a while that I had premature labor, I didn't. What happened was that the placenta irritated the cervix, causing dilation, which in turn irritated the placenta, causing bleeding. I was on bed rest for the last three weeks of my pregnancy, and I not only hated it, I was TERRIBLE at it. I was up every few minutes - getting a drink, going to the bathroom, running upstairs to get my book or my knitting, washing the dishes because I just couldn't stand to think of them in the sink. It would have made my doctors crazy if they'd seen, but none of these things started me bleeding. I started bleeding while lying obediently in bed. So I'm not sold on how much bed rest helps.

PELVIC rest though, yeah, best to take that seriously. Make sure you're adequately hydrated, don't hold your pee (UTI risk), if you start having lots of B-H contractions, get some water and put your feet up. The concern with sex isn't just cervical irritation, it's that orgasm is a uterine contraction, and those aren't the best idea.

I didn't feel comfortable with RRL tea with previa and wouldn't recommend it.