USMLE · Question #338
Which of the following is not appropriately matched with the term: Braxton Hicks contractions?
The correct answer is C. Edema. Edema (option C) is the mismatch because Braxton Hicks contractions are a uterine phenomenon - they refer specifically to the pattern and quality of the contractions themselves, not to fluid accumulation in tissues. Edema is a separate clinical finding associated with pregnancy…
Question
Which of the following is not appropriately matched with the term: Braxton Hicks contractions?
Options
- APainless
- BIntermittent contractions
- CEdema
- DIrregular
How the community answered
(62 responses)- A13% (8)
- B3% (2)
- C76% (47)
- D8% (5)
Explanation
Edema (option C) is the mismatch because Braxton Hicks contractions are a uterine phenomenon - they refer specifically to the pattern and quality of the contractions themselves, not to fluid accumulation in tissues. Edema is a separate clinical finding associated with pregnancy (or other conditions) and has no defining relationship to Braxton Hicks contractions.
Options A, B, and D are all correctly associated characteristics: Braxton Hicks contractions are classically painless (or only mildly uncomfortable), intermittent (they come and go rather than persisting), and irregular in timing and intensity - which is precisely what distinguishes them from true labor contractions, which become regular, stronger, and closer together.
Memory tip: Think of Braxton Hicks as "false labor" defined entirely by the contraction's behavior (painless, irregular, intermittent). Any answer that introduces a separate body system finding - like edema, bleeding, or discharge - is the odd one out.
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