Whether you can stop contractions depends on what’s causing them. Braxton Hicks contractions, the irregular “practice” contractions that happen throughout pregnancy, usually ease with simple steps like hydrating and changing position. Preterm labor contractions, which happen before 37 weeks and come with cervical changes, require medical intervention and can typically be delayed by about 48 hours with medication. Knowing which type you’re dealing with is the first step.
Braxton Hicks vs. Preterm Labor Contractions
Braxton Hicks contractions are irregular, unpredictable, and generally more uncomfortable than truly painful. They don’t get closer together over time, don’t intensify, and are usually felt only in the front of the abdomen or in one isolated spot. They come and go on their own schedule, sometimes disappearing for days before returning.
True labor contractions behave differently in every measurable way. They arrive at regular intervals and get progressively closer together, longer, and stronger. Instead of staying in one area, they typically start in the mid-back and wrap around toward the front of the abdomen. If your contractions follow this pattern before 37 weeks, that’s preterm labor, and it needs medical attention rather than home remedies.
Simple Steps That Ease Braxton Hicks
Most Braxton Hicks contractions respond to a few basic changes. Drinking water is the most commonly recommended first step. The theory is that dehydration may increase uterine activity by reducing blood flow to the uterus and triggering hormonal shifts that promote contractions. While formal studies haven’t confirmed a specific volume of water that reliably stops contractions, many providers suggest drinking two to three glasses and waiting to see if the tightening subsides.
Changing your activity level often helps too. If you’ve been on your feet, sit or lie down. If you’ve been sitting for a long time, get up and walk slowly. A warm (not hot) bath can also relax uterine muscles. Emptying your bladder is worth trying as well, since a full bladder can irritate the uterus and trigger tightening.
If the contractions stop with these measures, they were almost certainly Braxton Hicks. If they persist, become regular, or start intensifying, the situation has changed.
What Hospitals Do for Preterm Contractions
When contractions before 37 weeks are causing the cervix to open, doctors use medications called tocolytics to suppress them. The goal is realistic: these drugs buy time, typically around 48 hours, so that steroid injections can be given to help the baby’s lungs mature before delivery. Tocolytics are not designed to stop labor permanently.
The two most commonly used options work by preventing calcium from entering the muscle cells of the uterus, which is what makes those cells contract. One is a blood pressure medication repurposed for this use, and the other is an anti-inflammatory drug that blocks the production of chemicals called prostaglandins, which promote contractions. A third option, magnesium sulfate given through an IV, also reduces uterine muscle activity, though its exact mechanism isn’t fully understood. When given before 32 weeks, magnesium sulfate serves double duty: it slows contractions while also protecting the baby’s developing brain.
There is one class of medication specifically designed from the ground up to delay preterm birth. It works by blocking the receptors for oxytocin, the hormone that drives contractions. This drug is available in many countries, though access varies by region.
How Doctors Decide If You Need Treatment
Having contractions before 37 weeks doesn’t automatically mean you’ll deliver early. Many women experience regular-feeling contractions that never cause cervical change, and these episodes resolve on their own. Doctors use a combination of tools to figure out who actually needs tocolytic treatment and who can safely go home.
The key measurement is the cervix. If it has dilated to at least 2 centimeters (the threshold used by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) alongside regular contractions, preterm labor is diagnosed. International guidelines place the cutoff at 3 centimeters. Once the cervix reaches 3 centimeters or more before 34 weeks, preterm delivery within the next week becomes very likely.
A protein test can also help. Fetal fibronectin is a substance that acts like biological glue between the uterine lining and the amniotic sac. When it shows up in vaginal fluid between 22 and 34 weeks, it can signal that labor may be approaching. The test is most valuable when it comes back negative: a negative result is highly reliable at predicting that you will not deliver within the next two weeks. This spares many women unnecessary hospitalization and medication.
When Stopping Contractions Is Not Safe
There are situations where attempting to stop contractions would put you or your baby at greater risk than allowing delivery to proceed. Infection inside the uterus, called chorioamnionitis, is one of the clearest examples. Signs include maternal fever, a rapid fetal heart rate, and elevated white blood cell counts. Delaying delivery in the presence of infection can be dangerous for both mother and baby.
Placental abruption, where the placenta separates from the uterine wall, is another scenario where tocolytics are not used. Any bleeding beyond light spotting during preterm contractions raises concern for either abruption or a low-lying placenta, and both conditions can worsen with medications that relax the uterus or affect blood pressure. Severe preeclampsia, certain heart conditions, and poorly controlled thyroid disease also rule out some or all tocolytic options.
If your water has already broken, the decision becomes more nuanced. Doctors weigh the gestational age, signs of infection, fluid levels around the baby, and fetal growth before deciding whether buying more time in the womb helps or hurts.
Does Bed Rest Actually Help?
Bed rest is one of the most commonly prescribed interventions for preterm contractions, but the evidence behind it is surprisingly thin. A Cochrane review examining its effectiveness found no meaningful difference in preterm birth rates between women placed on bed rest and those who continued normal activities. In one study, the preterm birth rate was 7.9% in the bed rest group and 8.5% in the unrestricted group, a statistically insignificant gap.
Prolonged bed rest also carries its own risks, including muscle loss, blood clots, and the psychological toll of weeks of inactivity. Despite this, many providers still recommend some degree of activity modification because the logic seems sound: less physical stress on the body should mean less uterine irritability. The current evidence simply doesn’t confirm that this translates into fewer preterm births. If your provider recommends reduced activity, it’s reasonable to ask what specific outcome they’re hoping to achieve and what the alternatives look like.
What to Watch For at Home
If you’re earlier than 37 weeks and trying to figure out whether your contractions need medical evaluation, track them for an hour. Time the interval from the start of one contraction to the start of the next. Six or more contractions in an hour that don’t ease with hydration and rest is a commonly used threshold for calling your provider. Other signals that warrant a call include a change in vaginal discharge (especially if it becomes watery, bloody, or mucus-like), pelvic pressure that feels like the baby is pushing down, or a persistent low backache that comes and goes in waves.
After 37 weeks, contractions are considered full-term labor, and the approach shifts entirely. At that point, the goal is no longer to stop them but to determine whether they’re active enough to head to the hospital or birth center. The general guidance most providers give is to come in when contractions are consistently five minutes apart, lasting one minute each, and have maintained that pattern for at least one hour.