Cohort Study of Uterine Contractions in Black Women

摘要

The prospective cohort study examined uterine activity in 89 black inner city women without major medical risks for preterm labor. The objective of the study was to describe the participants' uterine activity during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, and to assess the effects of maternal age, parity, weight, physical activity, sexual activity, and smoking. Uterine contractions were monitored for 72 consecutive hours at three points in gestation. Contractions were monitored by ambulatory tocodynamometers worn by the participants, who also completed diaries regarding physical activity, smoking, and emotional state. Study results indicated that mean hourly uterine contraction frequency and intensity increased significantly with advancing gestational age. Contraction duration did not change significantly throughout the gestational age periods studied. Maternal weight showed an inverse linear correlation with the natural logarithm of contraction rate. During the second and third gestational age periods, there was a diurnal pattern to contraction frequency, with uterine activity peaking during the night, particularly for women who had coitus during evening or night hours.