A nurse is reviewing the laboratory results of a client who is at 29 weeks of gestation and has pre-term labor.

Which of the following results indicates an infection that can trigger pre-term labor?

Decreased frequency and intensity of contractions indicates that the client’s condition is improving.Preterm labor occurs when regular contractions result in the opening of your cervix before 37 weeks of pregnancy.

If preterm labor can’t be stopped, your baby will be born early and may have health problems.

Choice B is wrong because increased cervical dilation and effacement means that the cervix is thinning and opening more, which are signs of labor progression.

Choice C is wrong because increased amount and color of vaginal discharge may indicate infection, bleeding, or rupture of membranes, which are complications of preterm labor.

Choice D is wrong because decreased fetal heart rate variability means that the baby’s heart rate is not changing much, which may indicate fetal distress or hypoxia.A normal fetal heart rate variability is between 6 and 25 beats per minute.

Nitrazine paper test.

This test involves putting a drop of fluid obtained from the vagina onto paper strips containing nitrazine dye.

The strips change color depending on the pH of the fluid.The strips will turn blue if the pH is greater than 6.0, which indicates the presence of amniotic fluid.This test can help confirm rupture of membranes (ROM) in pregnancy, especially when preterm labor is suspected.

Choice B. Ferning test.This test involves examining a sample of vaginal fluid under a microscope and looking for a fern-like pattern that is formed by dried amniotic fluid crystals.This test can also help confirm ROM, but it is less reliable than the nitrazine test because other substances such as cervical mucus, semen, or blood can also cause ferning.

Choice C. Amniotic fluid index.This test involves measuring the amount of amniotic fluid in the uterus using ultrasound.This test can help assess the fetal well-being and detect conditions such as oligohydramnios (low amniotic fluid) or polyhydramnios (high amniotic fluid).This test cannot confirm ROM by itself, but it can be used in combination with other tests to evaluate the status of the pregnancy.

Choice D. Biophysical profile.This test involves using ultrasound and a fetal monitor to assess the fetal heart rate, breathing, movement, muscle tone, and amniotic fluid volume.