Preterm Labor

Preterm labor is labor that begins before 37 weeks of gestational age, as opposed to labor beginning at full term, at approximately 40 weeks. Its symptoms include uterine contractions occurring more often than every ten minutes, or the leaking of fluid from the vagina, before 37 weeks. The delivery that follows is classified by how early it occurs: extreme preterm is less than 28 weeks, very early preterm is between 28 and 32 weeks, early preterm is between 32 and 34 weeks, and late preterm is between 34 and 36 weeks of gestation.