Early Detection of Preterm Labor: Ambulatory Home Monitoring of Uterine Activity

Most women who experience preterm labor cannot receive longterm tocolysis mainly because of belated diagnosis. To detect excessive uterine contractions, an ambulatory tocodynamometer was developed. Sixty-two women, at high risk for preterm labor, monitored uterine activity between 20 and 36 weeks' gestation daily for a total of 200 minutes per day. Twenty-nine women (47%) had episodes of preterm labor. All the episodes were diagnosed by the device, and tocolysis was begun. The mean gestational age at which diagnosis was made was 28±2 (mean±SD) weeks, and the mean time gained in utero was 7.5±2.6weeks. The data indicate that ambulatory home monitoring may represent a new and effective means for accurate and early diagnosis of preterm labor.