Why Diarrhea Can Be a Sign That Labor Is Approaching

Diarrhea is a little talked-about sign labor is near. Experts explain there's nothing to be ashamed of if it happens to you.

One woman, pregnant lay standing alone and in pain in bathroom.

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Growing up, we often saw media portrayals of spontaneous labor beginning somewhere inconvenient with a person’s water breaking. This scenario is not how labor usually begins. Fewer than 15% of people go into labor with their water breaking. Another sign that labor could be imminent involves a different orifice (the anus) and isn’t talked about as much: Diarrhea.

Diarrhea isn’t a well-studied labor sign, either. There aren't clear statistics on how often it happens, but experts share it can be a sign of imminent labor—although it's not how labor usually begins. Diarrhea may also occur during labor. Broadly, OB-GYNs emphasize it’s important for pregnant people and any applicable partners to be aware of labor signs, but ones like diarrhea may go undiscussed with health care providers.

“Sometimes, people are nervous to talk about topics that are scary, especially with regards to diarrhea,” says Vaibhavi Umesh, MD, an OB-GYN at Stony Brook Medicine in Stony Brook, New York. “It’s a very personal topic.”

However, these discussions are essential.

“For a lot of patients, the whole process of labor can be very frightening and scary,” Dr. Umesh says. “Understanding signs of labor can help reduce anxiety because it gives you some more control. Information is empowering. For patients who are pre-term, understanding is more important because you know when to come in. It allows you and the baby to be evaluated, and it opens the potential window where we can intervene.”

While Dr. Umesh says there isn’t up-to-date, peer-reviewed research on diarrhea in labor, she and other providers give an overview of why it may happen and what people should do.

Diarrhea in Labor: When and Why it Happens 

People—particularly first-time parents toward the end of pregnancy—are often on the lookout for any sign labor may be near. Understandably, you want to meet that baby you’ve been growing for months. Diarrhea isn’t a universal labor sign, and it’s unclear how many people experience it, but it is one commonly seen, anecdotally.

“Diarrhea during labor most commonly starts 24-48 hours before labor, but every patient is different,” says Melanie Altizer, MD, chief OB-GYN at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Like many other aspects of pregnancy and labor, diarrhea before labor is likely hormonally driven.

“During labor, substances called prostaglandins serve to cause effacement and dilation of the cervix,” says Kecia Gaither, MD, MPH, MS, MBA, FACOG, who is double board-certified in OB-GYN and maternal fetal medicine and the director of perinatal services/maternal fetal medicine at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln in the Bronx, New York. “These prostaglandins can also impact the gastrointestinal tract, causing diarrhea.”

A person may also develop diarrhea while in active labor. “You are contracting much more intensely in a regular pattern, and sometimes, it can put a lot of pressure on the lower abdomen and rectum,” Dr. Umesh says.

Is Diarrhea Always a Sign Labor Is Near?

No. Diarrhea can happen for numerous reasons during pregnancy, imminent labor being only one of them.

“Diarrhea can be caused by certain foods, changes in diet, and potential illnesses, among other factors,” says Dr. Altizer. “With so many possibilities, it’s important to discuss the signs of labor with a health care professional to best discern if you’re nearing labor or just experiencing other bodily functions.”

Dr. Umesh says one episode of loose stool doesn’t necessarily warrant a call to a provider—though there’s no problem with giving your provider a ring. However, patients should call their provider if they have multiple bouts. One reason: Even if diarrhea isn’t a sign of labor, it could be a bacterial infection requiring antibiotics. Regardless of the cause, a side effect of diarrhea is dehydration, which could have consequences for the pregnant person and the developing fetus.

“Not being hydrated means you can experience contractions, sometimes prematurely,” Dr. Umesh says. “If you are feeling ill, you want to seek medical attention. Sometimes, you have no idea if it is a small issue. That’s why a provider should assess you to make sure you and the baby are safe.”

Additionally, Dr. Gaither emphasizes it’s important to call a provider after even one instance of diarrhea if the stool is:

  • Bloody
  • Protracted (lasting more than two weeks)
  • Accompanied by a fever, abdominal pain, dizziness, or vomiting

Dr. Umesh adds that patients should always call their provider if they notice a reduction in fetal movement, whether accompanied by diarrhea or not.

Additional Signs of Labor

Of course, diarrhea isn't the only sign that labor is approaching. The following are additional indicators that labor might be near or starting:

You Have a Back Ache

It's possible that your back has been achy ever since your belly got big enough to make sitting, sleeping, standing, and walking uncomfortable. However, a noticeable increase in back pain may be a sign that labor is getting close.

You may also be experiencing back labor, in which contractions are more focused in your lower back than in your abdomen because of the position of your baby. Particularly if this isn't your first pregnancy, you may notice pain and cramping not only in your low back but also in your groin, caused by stretching of muscles and joints in preparation for birth.

You Lose Your Mucus Plug

During pregnancy, the cervix (the entrance to the uterus) becomes blocked with mucus to help protect the developing baby. Once labor is underway and the cervix begins to dilate (enlarge), this mucus plug may be released.

It may come away all in one piece or in small pieces that you don't even notice. It may appear as what is called bloody show—pink, brown, or red-tinged discharge that you notice on your underwear or toilet paper after you urinate.

You Experience Contractions

A contraction is a squeezing and releasing of the uterus that encourages the cervix to dilate and helps to push a baby down through the birth canal. Many pregnant people have mild contractions called Braxton-Hicks contractions for weeks before going into labor. These "false" contractions aren't strong or regular and tend to come and go—sometimes in response to hunger or dehydration.

However, labor contractions get progressively stronger, longer, and closer together and usually feel like a tightness that starts in the back and moves around to the front of the lower belly.

What To Do About Diarrhea Before or During Labor

If diarrhea is a sign of early labor, providers say you’ll likely have to let it take its course and stay in touch with a health care provider about other symptoms, feelings of dehydration, or reduction in fetal movement. Diarrhea during active labor is similarly out of a birthing person’s control.

“Often, if you are in labor to the point you are having diarrhea, you’re likely at the hospital being evaluated or admitted,” Dr. Umesh says. “If you are admitted, health care professionals are monitoring you; you’re getting fluids, and we are making sure your vitals are OK. It can be uncomfortable, but there’s not much you can do.”

One thing not to do? Feel an ounce of embarrassment. Your provider only wants to get one important little one out of your body safe and sound: Your tiny human. If diarrhea comes out, too, it’s neither here nor there to them—and you won’t be the first person to experience it in their presence.

“You are having a baby—that is all that matters,” Dr. Umesh says. “All that other stuff—losing urine, stool, and diarrhea—that is just your body. There is nothing to be ashamed of.”

Additional reporting by Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH.

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Sources
Parents uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. How to know if your water breaks. Stanford Health. 2017.

  2. Signs That Labor Has Begun. National Health Services.

  3. Back Labor. American Pregnancy Association.

  4. How to tell when labor begins. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. 

  5. Braxton Hicks Contractions – Causes, Symptoms & Pain Relief. American Pregnancy Association.

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