The cervix is the narrow passage at the lower end of the uterus that changes to open and allow the baby (or babies and hopefully the placenta[s] too) to come out for a vaginal birth. Your cervix has a whole bunch of changing to do to get that to happen, including thinning out (effacement), moving from pointing toward your back to your front (posterior to anterior), and opening from 0cm dilation to 10cms. That’s a whole lot of change to happen in a relatively short amount of time for most people. But cervixes can also be confusing, especially when you’re trying to determine if you’re ready to give birth or not. Here are 3 consternating things about cervixes that you might not know!
1. Checks
Checking your cervix is a really common thing for providers to want to do in the office before you ever go into labor. Practices vary as to when this happens, BUT what we do know is that your cervix is NOT a crystal ball. Checking your cervix when you aren’t in labor isn’t necessary, especially if you are planning to wait to go into labor on your own. If you’re planning an induction, getting a cervical exam in the office is a great thing to do so you can talk about your Bishop Score with your provider. If you’re planning to wait, then saying “no thanks” is perfectly ok, as is just keeping on your pants.
Cervical checks when you are in labor are fairly standard. All the hospitals where we attend births require a cervical exam when you arrive to confirm that you are indeed in labor. It is really common to think that you’re in labor, when in fact your cervix isn’t changing at all. Since labor is defined as contractions that cause cervical change, that is why checking your cervix helps confirm this. I have of course seen people have babies without ever getting their cervix checked, mostly at home births and once at a hospital birth where the baby was pretty much born right after the clients arrived, but you should definitely expect to have your cervix examined by someone’s fingers when in labor.
2. Changes
Contractions commonly help your cervix change, BUT there are all kinds of factors that go into when and how your cervix changes. Some people have a cervix that doesn’t like to stay closed. The terrible medical term for this is “incompetent cervix.” Many people with this issue have a medical procedure called a cerclage to hold their cervix together until their baby is developed enough to be born. On the opposite end of that spectrum are people who have had a LEEP procedure. Often times those people have consistent powerful contractions yet struggle to realize change in their cervical dilation due to the buildup of scar tissue from that procedure. There are all kinds of other changes that can cause changes to your cervix to either speed up or slow down such as having had multiple previous births or other cervical procedures. These are definitely something to consider when you are thinking about your birth plan and when you’re preparing your body for birth.
3. Taking Charge
Have I peaked your interest? Did you know there are actually things that you can do to help get your cervix ready for labor? Evening Primrose oil capsules have been shown to help ripen your cervix and shorten the length of the first stage of labor. If you have scar tissue on your cervix, after a LEEP procedure for example, you can also talk to your provider about cervical massage for preparation and during labor too. These are just two of the methods that we know help people take charge of their cervical change before it even has a chance to hinder them.
The other thing we always suggest for people: educate yourself. If you don’t know what all the numbers that are being thrown around you in labor are because you didn’t get a chance to learn before, ASK! The people caring for you WANT you to know what’s going on so you can be an active participant in your care. Your cervix doesn’t have to be one more confusing thing about having a baby. It isn’t some cryptic cone that nobody knows anything about, its a body part that we actually understand fairly well. Pssst, even if you aren’t having a baby, your cervix is a pretty cool thing to understand regarding your fertility too. So take charge of your learning and get to know your cervix. You’ll feel so much better prepared to talk to your provider, ask better questions, & know what’s going on when the big birth day comes.