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Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes

The Basics

Written by the doctors and editors at UpToDate пїЅ пїЅ

What is preterm premature rupture of membranes? " пїЅ The medical term for when a womans water breaks is "rupture of membranes. " пїЅ Premature rupture of membranes is when a woman's water breaks before she goes into labor. Doctors and midwives call premature rupture of membranes "PROM " пїЅ for short. "Preterm " пїЅ PROM is when this happens when a pregnancy is less than 37 weeks. пїЅ пїЅ

Preterm PROM is a problem because labor often begins soon after it happens. Babies who are born before 37 weeks of pregnancy are premature. Premature babies can have serious health problems. пїЅ пїЅ

PROM can also lead to problems in the mother. For example, it can lead to an infection in the uterus. пїЅ пїЅ

What causes preterm PROM? " пїЅ Doctors aren't sure why preterm PROM happens in some women and not others. But preterm PROM is more likely to happen in women who: пїЅ пїЅ

  • Had preterm PROM before
  • Had preterm labor and delivery before
  • Have an infection in the vagina or uterus
  • Have bleeding from the vagina
  • Smoke

What are the symptoms of preterm PROM? " пїЅ When a woman's water breaks, it can feel like a sudden gush or a slow trickle of fluid from the vagina. The fluid is clear or pale yellow and sometimes looks like urine. пїЅ пїЅ

Is there a test for preterm PROM? " пїЅ Yes. Your doctor, nurse, or midwife will use a speculum to examine your cervix. He or she will look to see if amniotic fluid is leaking from your cervix. He or she will also take a sample of the fluid in your vagina, look at it under a microscope, and test it with special paper. This is to make sure the fluid is amniotic fluid. пїЅ пїЅ

Your doctor or midwife might also do an ultrasound exam to check the amount of amniotic fluid around your baby. An ultrasound is an imaging test that uses sound waves to create pictures of your baby in your uterus. пїЅ пїЅ

How is preterm PROM treated? " пїЅ Almost all women with preterm PROM need to stay in the hospital until their baby is born. That's so their doctor or midwife can follow their pregnancy closely. пїЅ пїЅ

In many cases, labor starts within 1 week of preterm PROM. пїЅ пїЅ

If your labor doesn't start on its own, your doctor or midwife might give you medicine to help start it. This is called inducing labor. Your doctor or midwife is more likely to induce labor if: пїЅ пїЅ

  • You are 34 or more weeks pregnant.
  • You are less than 34 weeks pregnant, but there is a problem with your pregnancy or your baby's health. The most common problem that might happen is an infection in the uterus.

If your doctor or midwife doesn't deliver your baby right away, he or she might treat you with medicines, including: пїЅ пїЅ

  • Medicines called "steroids " пїЅ to help your baby breathe better when he or she is born. (These steroids are different from the ones athletes take to build muscle.)
  • Antibiotics to prevent an infection

Will my baby be OK? " пїЅ That depends on many factors, such as how early your baby is born, how developed his or her lungs are, and whether he or she has an infection. Babies who are born very early are more likely to have health problems. пїЅ пїЅ

All topics are updated as new evidence becomes available and our peer review process is complete. пїЅ пїЅ

This topic retrieved from UpToDate on: Nov 04, 2014. пїЅ пїЅ

Topic 82972 Version 2.0 пїЅ пїЅ

Release: 22.8 - C22.206 пїЅ пїЅ

пїЅ пїЅ 2014 UpToDate, Inc. All rights reserved. пїЅ пїЅ

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пїЅ пїЅ 2014 UpToDate, Inc. All rights reserved. пїЅ пїЅ