Are you expecting a baby and want to know what happens before and during the birth? Every pregnant woman seeks to know as much information as possible in relation to the period of delivery. As the time of the baby’s birth approaches, the woman’s body adapts in the best way for this stage to take place.
Hearing particular phrases such as “the cervix is erased” can be worrisome for any new mother. Before birth, the cervix undergoes certain changes: dilation and effacement. The latter is known as the stage when the cervix disappears for the arrival of the baby. In this FastlyHealarticle we will talk to you about how to know if I have an erased cervix and we will explain how this happens.
Table of Contents
What do I need to know before delivery?
If you are pregnant, you must have all the possible information available to prepare for the moment of delivery, as this stage arrives, the cervix undergoes 2 important transformations for the birth of the baby to occur, two changes known as erasure and dilation .
Uterine effacement is defined as the process in which the cervix becomes much thinner and stretches, while dilation represents the opening of the cervix. Both processes prepare the canal for the baby to pass easily.
The time for both processes to occur will depend on each woman or whether it is the first childbirth or not. Health personnel are in charge of determining if the cervix is ready for the moment of birth, that is, if it has been erased and completely dilated, this is possible through uterine contractions that mark the beginning of the work of Birth.
How do I know if I have an erased cervix?
First of all, it is important to know that the cervix is nothing more than a fibrous and muscular band shaped like a cylinder that is responsible for communicating the vagina with the uterus. This is approximately 3-4cm long and 2.5cm in diameter.
When the cervix is erased, it means that it has progressively shortened until it disappears and leaves the path or free path for the baby during the time of delivery.
In first-time pregnant women (primiparous or nulliparous), that is, they have never gone through labor, the cervix takes longer to erase, lasting a few hours (8 to 12 hours) or days, this differs from women who have already had children through childbirth (multiparous) in which the cervix dilates and clears at the same time, speeding up labor (5 to 8 hours).
There are certain parameters related to the removal of the cervix that can intuit that the time of delivery is approaching:
- Uterine contractions : if you are pregnant and you are in the last trimester of pregnancy and you begin to notice regular, rhythmic and painful contractions, you can intuit the beginning of the erasure of the cervix, being necessary to go immediately to the doctor for the pertinent evaluation.
- Vaginal bleeding : it is likely that when the cervix is erased, slight vaginal bleeding will be evident. Before the manifestation of this symptom, do not hesitate to go to the doctor.
- Loss of the mucous plug : sometimes the presence of slight vaginal bleeding is related to the expulsion of something known as a mucous plug, this is nothing more than a natural plug that allows the cervix to be closed throughout the pregnancy. process is also known as “marking”.
Medically the erasure of the cervix is written in percentage , if you hear that the neck is erased 0% it means that this stage has not happened before delivery, on the contrary, a neck erased 100% means that it has been completely refined and is ready for the baby’s arrival.
Other phases of labor
In addition to the removal of the cervix, you have heard about dilations and this is nothing more than the stretching or expansion of the cervix.
It is presumed that dilation has started when rhythmic and continuous contractions are present , dilation measures the degree of opening of the cervical os or cervix, going from being closed until it reaches the 10 cm that it normally needs for the baby to reach the world.
It is important to take into account that before any sign of dilation or erasure of the cervix, do not hesitate to go to the doctor who, through vaginal examination, corroborates this information and will give you all the necessary indications to prepare for the birth of the baby. In the following FastlyHealarticle we explain when you should go to the hospital to give birth .
This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to How to know if I have an erased cervix , we recommend that you enter our Pregnancy and baby health category .
I am a Surgeon with a diploma in comprehensive ultrasound and surgical care residency, an area I am specializing in. During the exercise of my profession, I have realized the need for patients to know the diseases they suffer, and I can tell you that a large part of their complications is due to a lack of information. Being a health web writer allows me to transmit my experience, without borders, to all those readers eager for knowledge, educate them in the prevention of diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle.