Preterm labour and birth can be delayed but are generally unstoppable, threatening the health of the mother-baby duo. This may be a result of peripheral signals prematurely recruiting the oxytocin neurones that co-ordinate the timing of birth and, via specialised activity and secretion patterns, drive uterine contractions. Once sensitised, these neurones respond with waves of activity, even to weak stimuli, resulting in a positive-feedback loop that escalates towards inevitable birth.
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