I’ve only carried one baby to term, and it was difficult. I “labored” off and on for months with something called “Irritable Uterus Syndrome.” A couple times it scared me into thinking I was in pre-term labor.
What is Irritable Uterus? It’s basically when a pregnant mom has unorganized contractions off and on through pregnancy, some of which can be pretty uncomfortable. My contractions were longer-lasting than “normal” contractions, and my uterus would stay taught for minutes, even up to a half-hour at a time in one long uncomfortable squeeze-fest that would come and go in waves. These contractions don’t usually lead to cervix changes or contribute to the birth of a baby. It’s basically a constant, low-level muscle twitch that gets extremely annoying. I could feel that tightness in my back, too, and that was painful.
My irritable uterus seemed to be especially irritable in the evening, or during/after any sort of exercise. I believe it all started around 20 weeks and continued to drive me batty until I had my baby about two weeks overdue, though I was sent to the hospital twice for contractions suspected to be “early labor” which wasn’t the case at all. At one time I was told my contractions were “two minutes apart,” but the doctor confirmed my cervix was still very closed.
I should note that I do have Fibromyalgia and suspect that my uterine muscle was just doing what all my other muscles do on a daily basis, though this was a bit more alarming!
Even when labor finally began, my contractions were longer than the “norm” and there was never a true “relaxation” between them. I had a drug-free labor and delivery, so I was pretty aware of what was happening. It wasn’t what I would describe as an “easy labor.”
Unfortunately, there is no good research on IUS, but there are anecdotal reports and some case studies. There are moms out there who have contributed their experiences and remedies for those of us who wish to try relief measures.
Things that might help:
- Taking a Magnesium Supplement: This helped me a little, as it does for Fibromyalgia symptoms. Just be sure not to take it with calcium, as that can stimulate muscles
- Bed Rest: There is no evidence to suggest that bed rest helps IU, though there are women who swear that IU contributed to early labor in previous pregnancies, and that bed rest with following IU pregnancies helped them carry babies to term.
- Ruling out other things. You should definitely see your doctor or midwife if you’re having frequent contractions and feeling like something isn’t right. It could be anything from early labor to constipation, to plain old Braxton Hicks. It’ll ease your mind to know that you’re dealing with something benign.
Have you experienced Irritable Uterus Syndrome? What were your symptoms, and did anything help?