Monitoring a condition of a subject

1. A method for detecting uterine contractions in a pregnant woman, the method comprising:

sensing motion of the woman without contacting the woman and generating a signal corresponding to the sensed motion; and

analyzing the signal to detect presence of labor contractions.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises, when labor contractions are detected, and the detected contractions are preterm, administering therapy to prevent labor.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises sensing a parameter selected from the group consisting of: a heartbeat of the woman, and a breathing rate of the woman, to assist in detecting the presence of labor contractions.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:

determining a parameter selected from the group consisting of: a number of labor contractions during a time period, and a rate of the labor contractions,

comparing the parameter to a predefined threshold, and

emitting an alarm when the predefined threshold is exceeded.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the method is practiced without contacting or viewing the clothes the woman is wearing.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the method is practiced without requiring compliance of the woman.

7. Apparatus for detecting uterine contractions in a pregnant woman, the apparatus comprising:

at least one motion sensor configured to detect motion of the woman without contacting the woman and generate at least one signal corresponding to the detected motion; and

a signal analyzer configured to analyze the at least one signal to detect a presence of labor contractions.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 7 , wherein the apparatus is further configured to administer therapy when contractions are detected to prevent labor.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 7 , wherein:

the apparatus further comprises a sensor selected from the group consisting of: a heartbeat sensor, and a breathing rate sensor, and

the analyzer is configured to detect the presence of labor contractions using a parameter selected from the group consisting of: a sensed heartbeat, and a sensed breathing rate.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 7 ,

wherein the apparatus is further configured to:

determine a parameter selected from the group consisting of: a number of labor contractions during a time period, and a rate of labor contractions, and

compare the determined parameter to a predefined threshold, and

wherein the apparatus further comprises an alarm configured to activate when the predefined threshold is exceeded.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 7 , wherein the apparatus is configured for use without viewing the woman.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 7 , wherein the apparatus is configured for use without requiring compliance of the woman.