The concept is brilliantly simple. Devise a method of predicting preterm labor in high-risk pregnancies so there's a greater chance the labor can be postponed, allowing the mother to carry the baby as close to term as possible. Design the method to be home-based, so the mother can rest in her own surroundings rather than exposing herself and her family to the stress and cost of a long hospital stay. Such a devise could change the face of high-risk pregnancies. But wait – we have such a method. Or do we?

Who would have thought a device designed to catch preterm labor in high-risk pregnancies would have generated such controversy? But the home uterine activity monitor (HUAM) system has done just that.

Some women swear by them, while others are concerned the monitors give mothers a false sense of security and make them miss other signs that preterm labor is imminent. The studies done on the HUAM don't show they are definitely effective in preventing preterm delivery. Supporters of the HUAM charge the studies are flawed, having been conducted with mostly singleton pregnancies rather than higher order (triplets or more) pregnancies. So how is a mother to make an informed choice with all the conflicting data, opinions and controversy?

Common sense tells us that the HUAM should be effective. The monitor, which is actually a transducer, is strapped around the waist with a belt for one hour twice a day. It is designed to pick up contractions the pregnant woman may not even realize she is having. The device relays information through the phone line to nurses at a central monitoring office who then contact the patient's physician if there is a problem.

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