This information can help determine the process of your induction, influencing what medical options may be available or recommended by your provider. If you have agreed to a medical induction of labor, having a cervical check to measure your Bishop score close to the time of your induction can be helpful. A cervical exam CAN be very helpful if you are going to be induced in the next day or two. As birth professionals often say, “your cervix is not a crystal ball.” It can’t help us make any predictions about the future. Your cervix could experience huge change within the next 3 hours, 3 days, or 3 weeks. If your provider tells you that a cervical exam CAN predict any of those things, I would consider that a red flag.Īll a cervical exam tells us is the perceived state of the cervix during the time of the exam (remember - these exams are subjective and results can vary from provider to provider). Whether you are a good candidate for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) before your due date, before 41 weeks, etc.) If you will go into labor spontaneously by a certain point in pregnancy (i.e. Based on this information, clinicians CANNOT predict with any accuracy: Remember - the answers to all these questions just tell us what is happening right now. Labor contractions are the primary way that babies move down through the pelvis, so this measurement doesn’t mean very much prior to labor. Some babies begin to move lower into the pelvis late in pregnancy (you may have heard this referred to as the baby “dropping”). The baby’s station (one aspect of their position in the pelvis). Labor contractions are really helpful in creating this change, but sometimes the body can start moving in this direction beforehand. Late in pregnancy, the cervix can start to thin out in preparation for labor. Whether the cervix has started to efface (thin), and if so how much. Sometimes, the cervix starts to dilate a centimeter or two (or sometimes more) late in pregnancy, before contractions begin. During labor, the body uses contractions to open the cervix. During pregnancy it’s normal and healthy for the cervix to be tightly closed, keeping your baby protected from things on the outside. ![]() Whether the cervix is dilated (open), and if so how much. (This is not a measurement, but an adjective describing the consistency of the cervix as your provider perceives it with their fingers.) ![]() Sometimes that change begins to happen prior to labor beginning. The cervix changes from firm during pregnancy to very soft during labor. The position of the cervix (whether it is still in the pregnancy position facing your lower back, or has moved to face in a more forward direction toward your pubic bone) Prenatal cervical exams usually last between 30 seconds to a few minutes.Ī cervical exam late in pregnancy usually involves evaluating: They cannot visually see the cervix and are relying on touch alone. The provider inserts two gloved fingers into the vagina (no speculum is used) and reaches up toward the cervix. This exam is performed manually with a gloved hand using lubricating gel. You will be asked to lie back on the exam table with your feet in the stirrups and knees wide. What’s involved with a cervical exam?ĭuring a prenatal office visit, a provider may ask you to undress from the waist down so they can check your cervix. That often looks like one exam each week beginning around 36 weeks gestation until labor begins.Įven though there are no studies demonstrating clinical benefits to routine cervical exams before labor, many providers still consider them a normal part of prenatal care. Note: We are talking here about full-term pregnancies where there are no additional symptoms like bleeding or signs of premature labor.Īlso called pelvic exams or vaginal exams, cervical exams during pregnancy are offered as a routine part of care for many OBs and hospital-based midwives (some home birth and birth center midwives too). So what’s the deal with cervical exams during pregnancy? ![]() Let’s dig into what these exams can really tell us, what your options are, and some tried and true tips for communicating with your care provider about cervical exams during an appointment. Many of our clients are surprised that their providers want to perform cervical exams each week during the last part of pregnancy, often starting at around 36 weeks (although some providers may initiate these routine exams earlier or later). Cervical exams to check progress during labor are one thing, but let’s talk about cervical exams BEFORE labor.
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