Contractions question

Im 37 weeks 5 days. 1cm dilated and 70%effaced as of this past friday. Babys head is incredibly low my dr said and she said it could be anytime. Ive been doing everything i can think of to start labor. My husband and i had sex last night to see if that would help and i had really strong contractions every 10 mintues for about an hour, then they went to every hour but same intensity. Now they are just every once in awhile. Im so confused and frustrated as to why my body will seem like its ready then all of a sudden stop. Does this mean ill have a hard labor or have to be induced or anything like that? I have another appointment on Friday and she said she can sweep my membranes at 39 weeks. Im feel really discouraged and confused. If anyone has experienced anything similar that would greatly helpful!