When pregnant what makes your water break

Sometimes other things can cause your water to break a bit earlier than expected. Your growing baby is floating inside a bag of fluid called the amniotic sac. Typically, your water will break because your contractions or baby put pressure on it — like popping a balloon from the inside.

An older study using the rat model indicates that a programmed weakening of the membrane may occur as labor approaches. If your water breaks too early, other causes might have weakened the amniotic sac.

This can cause it to break or leak before your baby is ready to be born. A weaker amniotic sac can happen if you have poor nutrition or too much water in your womb. A small lab study also suggests that infections may thin the amniotic sac.

This is known as an en caul birth. This called prelabor or premature rupture of membranes , or PROM — a somewhat ironic abbreviation! It is possible for your water to break too early.

This is when it breaks before week 37 of pregnancy. Most pregnant women go into labor within 24 hours of their water breaking, according to the U.

The experience is different for every pregnant person, but these signs indicate that your amniotic sac has ruptured. As your due date approaches , worrying about your water breaking can basically become a full-time job. You might imagine yourself panicking, screaming, and Lamaze breathing as you white-knuckle it to the hospital.

Some women experience the telltale gush of fluid, while others have nothing more than a slow trickle that resembles leaking urine. So how do you know if your water broke, and what should you do afterwards? We spoke with experts to learn more about this sign of approaching labor. To understand water breaking signs, it helps to know why it happens in the first place. This amniotic fluid cushions your baby, regulates the temperature of the womb, and helps with fetal development.

At some point prior to delivery, the amniotic sac membranes will rupture and the fluid will come out of the vagina. Despite common misconceptions, only about 15 to 20 percent of women experience their water breaking before going into labor, says Ashley Brichter, founder and CEO of Birth Smarter , which offers in-person and virtual childbirth classes for expectant parents.

It usually happens during labor or delivery. In extremely rare cases, the amniotic sac might never rupture, and the baby can be born inside of it called "en caul". How do I know if my water broke? Water breaking during pregnancy occurs when the amniotic sac that surrounds your baby ruptures.

When this happens, many women experience painful cramps, known as contractions, meaning that they might be going into labor soon. When water breaks, many women feel a sensation of wetness in their vagina or constant leaking of small amounts of watery fluid.

Some patients may also experience pain and pressure on their pelvis. This happens when you have carried your baby full term, your water breaks, and you are ready to go into labor. Preterm PROM is a pregnancy complication that occurs when the amniotic sac ruptures before the 37th week of pregnancy. This can increase the risk for infection and stillbirth. Some factors that can lead to preterm PROM include:.

However, if you are weeks pregnant, your healthcare provider may delay both labor and delivery, until your baby develops. That said, they may recommend:. Now that we have explained what is water breaking and what happens when the amniotic sac ruptures before the 37th week of pregnancy, we can move on to the next section: How to tell if your water broke.

What can I do if my waters broke, but I do not have contractions? Read on. These are the factors that can help you determine if you are experiencing water breaking:.

However, if your water breaks, the best thing you can do is to call your healthcare provider or head to your delivery facility right away. An ultrasound may also be helpful if they want to check your amniotic volume fluid. Your waters broke but no contractions? Michigan Medicine. Rupture of the membranes. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellHealth. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page.

These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign Up. What are your concerns? Verywell Health 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. Related Articles.

What Is ECV? External Cephalic Version. What Is Chorioamnionitis? What Are the Signs of Labor? What Is a Membrane Sweep? What Is Dilation in Pregnancy? What Is Amniotic Fluid?