http://evidencebasedbirth.com/evidence-inducing-labor-water-breaks-term/
What is PROM?
Prelabor or “premature” rupture of membranes (PROM), happens when your water breaks before the start of labor.
Term PROM is when your water breaks before labor at ≥37 weeks of pregnancy.
Preterm PROM, or PPROM, happens when your water breaks before 37 weeks.
How many women experience term PROM?
Estimates vary, but researchers say that about 8-10%, or 1 in 10 women, will have their water break before the onset of labor (Gunn et al., 1970).
Where did the “24 hour clock?” come from?
Many people are under the impression that once a woman’s water breaks, she only has 24 hours to give birth or she will automatically need a C-section. Where did this opinion come from? Is it evidence-based?
The concept of the 24-hour clock actually started in the 1950s and 1960s.
(click link at top to read more evidence based info on PROM and membranes rupturing)