effacement?

Question

what exactley dose that mean and how is it mesured?? i know it sounds stupid but i really dont get it!!

Answer 1

Doctors measure it by "feel" -- if it feels thick and strong and spongy or if it feels paper thin and ready to give way.

Effacemet is the thinning of the cervix (the opening of the uterus) to get ready for dialation (opening). Throughout your pregnancy, your cervix is thick and very strong and spongy, to keep the baby inside of you.

Throughout your pregnancy your cervix has been tightly closed and protected by a plug of mucus. As the baby's head drops down into the pelvis, it pushes against the cervix and causes the cervix to relax and thin out, or "efface."

Effacement is described as a percentage. For example, if your cervix is not effaced at all, it is 0% effaced. If the cervix has completely thinned, it is 100% effaced.

After the cervix is effaced, it will also begin to open (dilatation). Cervical dilatation is expressed in centimeters from 0 to 10. Zero means that the cervix is closed, and 10 means that it is completely dilated. You will be ready to push when you are 10 centimenters.

Answer 2

Cervical effacement and dilatation
As labor nears, the cervix begins to thin or stretch (efface) and open (dilate) to prepare for the passage of the baby through the birth canal (vagina). How fast the cervix thins and opens varies from woman to woman. In some women, the cervix may efface and dilate slowly over a period of weeks. A first-time mother often will not dilate until active labor begins.

Late in your pregnancy, your health professional will manually check (wearing sterile gloves) how much your cervix has effaced and dilated.

Effacement

As the baby's head drops down into the pelvis, it pushes against the cervix and causes the cervix to relax and thin out, or efface.

See an illustration of cervical effacement .

Throughout your pregnancy your cervix has been tightly closed and protected by a plug of mucus. When the cervix effaces, the mucus plug is loosened and passes out of the vagina. The mucus may be tinged with blood. This passage of the mucus plug is called "show" or "bloody show." You may or may not notice when the mucus plug passes.

Effacement is described as a percentage. For example, if your cervix is not effaced at all, it is 0% effaced. If the cervix has completely thinned, it is 100% effaced.

Dilatation

After the cervix begins to efface, it will also begin to open (cervical dilatation).

Cervical dilatation is expressed in centimeters from 0 to 10. Zero means that the cervix is closed, and 10 means that it is completely dilated.

Answer 3

Effacement
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Effacement is the shortening, or thinning, of the cervix before or during early labor. Prior to effacement, the cervix is like a long bottleneck, usually about four centimeters in length. Throughout pregnancy, the cervix is tightly closed and protected by a plug of mucus. When the cervix effaces, the mucus plug is loosened and passes out of the vagina. The mucus may be tinged with blood and the passage of the mucus plug is called bloody show (or simply "show").

As effacement takes place, the cervix then shortens, or effaces, pulling up into the uterus and becoming part of the lower uterine wall. Effacement may be measured in percentages, from zero percent (not effaced at all) to 100 percent, which indicates a paper-thin cervix. Effacement is followed by cervical dilation.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effacement"

Answer 4

Imagine your uterus and cervix looking like a pear which is upside-down. The neck of the pear represents your cervix. When you go into labour, your cervix needs to move forward to line up with the vagina, efface, which is to get shorter (or thin out), soften and dilate (open). So the effacement is the shortening of the cervix. It is measure in a percentage, so 75% effaced means that 25% of the cervix still needs to shorten. 100% effaced means the cervix is no longer there.

It is measured by feeling with fingers during a vaginal exam. With practice, a midwife, nurse or doctor can tell how effaced (short) your cervix is, and how dilated (open) it is.

Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Effacement is how thinned out a womans cervix is, in order to deliver the cervix needs to be 100% thinned out.