Are cervical checks necessary?
One of the most common questions I get asked by my clients is “Are cervical checks necessary?”
So, let’s start with what a cervical check is and why you may or may not want it.
A cervical check is when a provider puts their hand inside of the vagina and feels at the top where your vagina meets your cervix. Have you ever seen a cervix? Pretty cool stuff! As a mother goes into labor and begins contracting, the contractions cause effacement, dilation, and station of baby…which means that there is change in your cervix!
So what exactly is effacement, dilation and station?
Effacement is where your cervix thins out. It’s pretty chunky and thick prior to labor starting. Once a mom begins to contract, her cervix will thin out to about the thickness of a piece of paper. It is measured in percentages (0% to 100% effaced)
Dilation is the most common one mothers know! Dilation is how open your cervix moving. It moves out of the way so baby can descend into the birth canal. Dilation is measured 1-10cm.
Station is probably the least common! Baby’s station is where they are in relation to your pelvis. At mid-pelvis, they are considered at 0 station, If baby is high, they are considered a negative station (-1, -2, -3 “floating”). If they are lower, they are considered a positive station (+1, +2, crowning).
Prior to labor, a cervical check may or may not be necessary. If you are having bleeding symptoms, signs of preterm labor, etc., these may be necessary reasons for your provider to assess your cervix.
There is a saying that your cervix doesn’t predict how long or how short your labor might be. What this means is that there have been mothers who were NOT dilated or effaced at 39 weeks and had quick labors verses their counterpart moms who sat at 5cm dilated for weeks and still had a long-ish labor. Your cervix does not predict the future.
As far as the emotional part of cervical checks. When a mother consents to getting a check, she may be disappointed with the results. This can cause labor to stall out or a mother to feel defeated.
A cervical exam tells us what change is happening and if we need to do something different. Sometimes it helps ease a mothers thoughts…other times it is the first intervention that causes a mother to lose faith in herself and her baby.
So let’s recap and then finalize this thing!
Reasons Why You May Want a Cervical Check:
You are having cervical bleeding
You are experiencing signs of preterm labor
You have been laboring for a long time and want to see what the contractions are doing
You need confirmation
Reasons Why You May Not Want a Cervical Check:
It’s too early in pregnancy/labor
You feel like it may mess with your mental state
You have had prior sexual trauma
You are confident in your body and what it’s doing
Neither of these are wrong answers. As a birth doula, my best advice is to absolutely get a provider that’s on your side. That is on your team when it comes to your birth goals. Prior to you being in labor, cervical checks are, in my opinion, unnecessary. However, once you get into labor and are actually having contractions, it’s up to you! My best recommendation is to wait as long as you can to get a cervical exam, just for your mental state.
Are they necessary? The answer is up to you. A mom who is trying for a completely natural birth (no pain medications) is completely different than a mom who wants an epidural. Providers can tell where a mom is in natural labor just based off what she is doing and how she is coping. A mother that has an epidural can’t show or tell us what she’s feeling, so it’s easier to notice cervical change by performing a cervical exam.
My hope is that new moms who read this will gain more understanding of why a provider would perform these and reasons why they may or may not want to consent! Every mother and birth is different so the choice is really up to you!
