Based on the timing of your contractions and other signs, your doctor or midwife will tell you to head to the hospital for active labor. This phase typically lasts from three to five hours and continues from the time your cervix is 3 cm until it is dilated to 7 cm.
Dilation of the cervix alone does not determine when you are in a labor. In some cases, a woman may only be dilated 1 cm but experience strong and frequent contractions. Others may experience dilation even before labor begins. If this is your first baby, active labour may take around eight hours. You generally start dilating in the ninth month of pregnancy as your due date gets closer.
The timing is different in every woman. For some, dilation and effacement is a gradual process that can take weeks or even up to a month. Others can dilate and efface overnight. Effacement is the thinning of the cervix, which is measured in percentages.
When you're percent effaced, your cervix has thinned enough for your baby to be born. If you're told you're "70 effaced," that means you're 70 percent effaced, so you're roughly three-quarters of the way to where you need to be to have your baby. If you're "80 effaced," that means you're 80 percent effaced. You're only 20 percent away from being fully effaced at percent, which is when you're ready to deliver. Your cervix is preparing for delivery by providing an opening from the uterus to the birth canal — unblocking the path to your baby's exit route.
Beginning in your ninth month of pregnancy, your practitioner will look for clues that labor is getting closer, palpating your abdomen and giving you an internal exam to check your cervix. In addition to seeing if baby's dropped , she's confirming whether your cervix has dilated and effaced and if it's begun to soften and move toward the front of the vagina — another indication that labor is getting closer.
Keep in mind, it's not a problem if your baby hasn't dropped just yet; a vaginal delivery is still definitely possible. Based on these factors, she'll likely make an educated guess as to when you'll deliver.
Wearing a surgical glove, they will insert two fingers into the vagina and feel for dilation, effacement, and the position of the cervix. Pregnant women can check their own cervix, but if they are not familiar with how it felt before pregnancy, it may be difficult to recognize the changes.
A self-check of the cervix is not a substitute for a cervical exam by a healthcare professional, however. In some cases, a doctor may recommend a transvaginal ultrasound to measure cervical thickness and length, as this method is likely more accurate. The amount of time it takes for complete cervical effacement during labor varies greatly.
For others, cervical effacement may occur slowly over several weeks. The same applies to dilation. It is not uncommon for a woman to be 1—2 cm dilated a couple of weeks before going into labor. Although they may occur at different speeds, cervical effacement and dilation can go hand in hand. The researchers analyzed how fast effacement occurred in relation to dilation.
Cervical effacement can start a few weeks before labor. The length and thickness of the cervix at different stages of pregnancy can also provide useful insight for healthcare providers. For example, the length of the cervix at mid-pregnancy may give a clue as to pregnancy duration. A pregnancy longer than 41 weeks can raise the risk of complications for both the woman and the fetus.
Assessing which women have a high risk of a prolonged pregnancy allows healthcare providers to determine the necessity of labor induction.
Cervical effacement refers to the stretching, thinning, and shortening of the cervix in preparation for vaginal childbirth. Along with effacement, cervical dilation must also occur to allow vaginal delivery. Typically, healthcare providers measure effacement in percentages or by the length of the cervix that remains.
Symptoms such as the loss of the mucus plug and pelvic pain may indicate that cervical effacement has begun. If you experience some occasional and irregular contractions in the last few months of your pregnancy, it doesn't mean that you are going into labor, and that your cervix has started to efface or dilate.
Braxton Hicks do not cause any change to your cervix. Think of Braxton Hicks as a practice run, and as one of the ways your body is preparing for the real thing. If you're unsure whether you're experiencing Braxton Hicks or real labor contractions, time your contractions using our Contraction Tracking Chart and speak to your healthcare provider.
Effacement is not a sign of labor that you'll be looking out for, but it is a physical change that gives your healthcare provider important information about how far along you are. And although it's good to be informed about all the ins and outs of labor and childbirth, it's also reassuring to know that your provider is on top of these kinds of details, so you can stay focused and relaxed.
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What Does Effaced Mean?
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