ADDRESSING PRETERM LABOR

Scenario:  Mrs. S is a 28 year old who is in her second trimester of pregnancy.
She woke up feeling very tired. In addition, she noticed lower back pain and
mild abdominal cramps. She notified her doctor and was advised to go to the 
ER for further evaluation.




Preterm labor is a very common occurrence in pregnancy.
lts causes are not clearly understood. It may be triggered
by events such as stress, trauma, heavy lifting or infection.

 Signs and symptoms include:
 Premature contractions, abdominal cramping, low back
 pain and vaginal bleeding . Patients should be encouraged 
to go to their doctor or Emergency Room if necessary. 

Close monitoring of the patient in preterm labor is done.
Medications such as Calcium channel blockers, Tocolytics
( Terbutaline and Albuterol) , antibiotic therapy to treat the
infection, Magnesium Sulfate and Prostaglandins are used
in treating this condition.



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