Increasing Contractions in Pregnancy
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Try one of these related symptoms.
Frequent uterine contractions during pregnancy
Preterm uterine contractions
Uterine contractions in early pregnancy
Intermittent uterine contractions
Increasing contractions
Contractions increase with walking
About the Symptom
Contractions in pregnancy refer to the uterus tightening and relaxing. Regular contractions that are increasing in pain and closer in timing indicate the start of labor.
When to See a Doctor
Seek professional care if you experience any of the following symptoms
- Increasing contractions in pregnancy
Possible Causes
Generally, Increasing contractions in pregnancy can be related to:
- Threatened Miscarriage
A threatened abortion or miscarriage are the same condition. A patient may present with vaginal bleeding or cramping in early pregnancy, but an ultrasound will show a live fetus (baby) and the patients cervix will be closed. The majority of these patients will continue to have a normal pregnancy, but some will progress to complete miscarriage.
- Round Ligament Pain
This condition occurs during pregnancy, particularly in the second trimester, when women experience sharp pain in the groin or lower abdominal area. It is caused by the stretching of the round ligament, which supports the growing uterus during pregnancy.
Related Serious Diseases
Sometimes, Increasing contractions in pregnancy may be related to these serious diseases:
- Threatened Preterm Labor
This refers to regular contractions that occur between 22 to 37 weeks of pregnancy. There may be associated cervical widening and softening, and it has a risk of preterm delivery.
- Uterine Contractions
- Placental Abruption
- Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome
- Chorioamnionitis
- Premature Rupture of Membranes
Doctor's Diagnostic Questions
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this symptom:
- Are you having frequent uterine contractions?
Reviewed By:
Ravi P. Chokshi, MD (Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN), Critical Care)
Current Maternal Fetal Medicine Fellow with Dual board certification in Obstetrics & Gynecology and Critical Care Medicine. | 5+ years experience managing a general Ob/Gyn practice and working in the Intensive Care Unit. | Previously Physician Lead of a large single specialty practice with 8 Physicians and 10+ Advanced practitioners. | Member of the Society of Maternal Fetal Medicine Patient education committee. | Frequent Medscape Consult contributor.
Seiji Kanazawa, MD, PHD (Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN))
Dr. Kanazawa graduated from the Niigata University Faculty of Medicine and received his Ph.D. from the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine. He is working on the front line of the General Perinatal Center, including the Tokyo Tama General Medical Center and the National Center for Research in Fertility Medicine, where he provides maternal and fetal care and undertakes clinical research. At Ubie, Dr. Kanazawa has been designing the Ubie AI Symptom Checker and has taken on the role of general obstetrics and gynecology consultation at FMC Tokyo Clinic by providing fetal ultrasound and prenatal consultation.
Content updated on Jan 29, 2025
Following the Medical Content Editorial Policy
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- Feeling contractions very frequently during pregnancy
- Uterine contractions occur very close to one another
- Uterine contractions are coming very frequently
- Uterine contractions occur very frequently
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Link to full study:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312810v1References
Raines DA, Cooper DB. Braxton Hicks Contractions. [Updated 2023 Aug 8]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470546/Hutchison J, Mahdy H, Hutchison J. Stages of Labor. [Updated 2023 Jan 30]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK544290/Leathersich SJ, Vogel JP, Tran TS, Hofmeyr GJ. Acute tocolysis for uterine tachysystole or suspected fetal distress. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018 Jul 4;7(7):CD009770. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD009770.pub2. PMID: 29971813; PMCID: PMC6513259.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6513259/ACOG Practice Bulletin
https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/practice-bulletin/articles/2009/08/induction-of-labor