internal exams....38 weeks?

Question

i was 38 weeks this past saturday & have only been checked 1 time, last tuesday (37 weeks)...but dr just gave the strep b test and said her head was in my cervix. i went to the dr this tues but he didn't check me. when does he check for dilation of my cervix? i thought they checked at 38 weeks? my sister just had a baby a week and a half ago and said they checked her from 37 weeks on...

Answer 1

All practioners don't follow the same schedule, and they don't all do internal exams leading up to delivery, esp. if everything is normal and you are not having signs or symptoms of early labor.

The exam is really only helpful during labor to check your progress. A lot of women are told that their cervix is dilated so many centimeters (usually 1-3) and they return home thinking they are going to go into labor at any moment, when in truth labor could be weeks away.

Answer 2

Every doc and midwife practices differently. Some routinely start checking every week at 37 weeks. More doctors are not checking at all until labor begins, or if you are going past due. There's no medical benefit in knowing what your cervix is dilated to. You could be 3cm and 100% effaced for 3 weeks, or you could be 1cm and 50% and go into labor tomorrow. Every time you have a vag exam, you increase your risk for infection. So that's why doc's aren't doing them as frequently.

Answer 3

I wont be checked for the first time until 39 weeks. Like the above poster said, every doc is different. I guess I'd rather not risk getting an unwanted infection if its not necessary to check me. :(