Are these real contractions?

Contractions generally signal that you’re in labour and will soon deliver your baby. However, you may also experience Braxton Hicks contractions, which are false labour pains. Here’s how to tell the difference between real and false contractions.

How to know if you’re having real contractions

• Women usually feel real contractions in the lower abdomen and lower back.

• Real contractions are accompanied by pain and a hardening of the abdomen.
• They last at least 30 seconds.
• Their frequency is regular.
• As labour progresses, real contractions get stronger, longer, and closer together.
• The intensity of the contractions may decrease when you’re moving or in an upright position.
• They are accompanied by a thinning and opening of the cervix.

How to know if you’re having Braxton Hicks contractions

Braxton Hicks contractions are normal during pregnancy and act as preparation for the woman’s body. They help strengthen the uterus in anticipation of the delivery.

These contractions also send a little more oxygen-rich blood to the placenta, which helps the baby get everything it needs to develop properly.

Braxton Hicks contractions are sometimes called “false labour.” Here’s how to recognize them.

• They can occur throughout pregnancy, but are most common in the third trimester.
• They often feel like tightening in the abdomen caused by the contraction and relaxation of the uterus.
• They are often described as unpleasant without being painful, but pain is subjective. Many women compare them to premenstrual pain or describe them as cramps.
• They are irregular in intensity, frequency, and duration.
• They can be triggered by situations that activate the muscle fibres of the uterus, such as physical activity, a full bladder, sexual intercourse, or dehydration.

Unlike real contractions, Braxton Hicks contractions:

• Don’t get stronger over time
• Don’t get closer together
• Improve with rest, proper hydration, changing positions, etc.
• Do not cause any changes to the cervix

When should you go to your birth location?

Before 37 weeks of pregnancy

Contractions that occur before 37 weeks of pregnancy may be a sign of premature labour. To find out if you need to go to your birth location, see What Are the Signs of Preterm Labour?

After 37 weeks of pregnancy

You should go to your birth location in the following cases:

• Your water breaks or it trickles continuously.
• You experience vaginal bleeding.
• Your contractions have been regular (30 seconds or longer, every 5 minutes) and painful for at least 1 hour. You may want to leave a little earlier if the hospital is more than 30 minutes from your home, if you’re pregnant with your second child, or if you’ve had a fast labour previously.
• You’re uncomfortable or very anxious about labour. However, after a medical assessment, you may be sent home if labour hasn’t progressed enough.
• You can’t feel your baby move.

Other signs may mean that you’re in labour. For more information, read our fact sheet on the signs of labour.

If you’re not sure what to do, call your hospital’s or birth location’s birthing unit.

Things to keep in mind

• Real contractions come at regular intervals and intensify as labour progresses.
• False contractions are irregular and often feel like a tightening sensation in the abdomen.
• Be especially vigilant if you’re not at full term and are experiencing contractions. If in doubt, call your birth location.

Scientific review: Anouk Landry, nursing staff manager for the Obstetrics-Gynaecology Department, CHU Sainte-Justine Research and copywriting:The Naître et grandir team Updated: April 2026

Photo: GettyImages/stefanamer