London - Researchers believe they have found a chemical sign that could tell doctors when women are about to go into labour.
Doctors hope that the knowledge will lead to tools that can more accurately predict when labour will take place.
Scientists at the University of Texas analysed amniotic fluid – which surrounds the baby in the womb – from 50 women in labour and 51 women at the end of their pregnancy but not yet in labour.
The team, who published their research in PLOS ONE, said cell fragments called telomeres floated freely in the fluid and became shorter and more fragmented as pregnancy went on. When they were at their most fragmented, they triggered the process of inflammation that led to labour.
Lead author Ramkumar Menon said a better understanding “may contribute to the design of more effective labour assessment, perhaps including pre-term birth risk and direct medical interventions for labour induction or prevention”.
Daily Mail