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To assess the clinical value of cardiovascular dynamics (CVD) pattern of ‘positive cycling’ in predicting true preterm labor. Patients with a clinical diagnosis of preterm labor had CVD measurement with a non-invasive miniature pressure transducer applied to the fingertip concomitantly with uterine activity monitoring. Based on previous work by our group, the rapid ejection time (RET) reflects arterial compliance; an elevated RET is suggestive of vasoconstriction. Positive cycling is present when the RET shows elevation with uterine contractions and negative cycling is present when there are no changes in the RET with uterine contractions. Twenty-seven women had negative CVD cycling and nine had positive CVD cycling. There was no difference between the two groups in initial gestational age, cervical effacement or cervical dilation at testing. However, the mean interval from testing to delivery was 1.56 (SEM ± 0.29) days for positive cycling and 39 days (± 5.25) for negative cycling ( P < 0.001). Non-invasive cardiovascular patterns of positive cycling appear predictive of preterm delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]