Health Tip: False Labor or Real Labor?

Signs that it's the real deal

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(HealthDay News) -- Many women mistake the irregular contractions of the uterus that constitute "false labor" as the real deal.

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The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists offers this comparison of real labor versus false labor:

• Real labor contractions last about 30 seconds to 70 seconds, and get closer together over time. False labor pains are inconsistent, and don't occur more frequently as they continue.
• Pains and contractions that continue even when you move around or change positions are a sign of real labor. Pains that are relieved by movement, rest, or changing positions are signs of false labor.
• Labor pains are strong and get increasingly stronger as they continue. False labor pains may become weaker over time or stay the same intensity.
• While false labor pains are in the front of the belly, real labor pains often start in the lower back and move to the front.

-- Diana Kohnle