information on dilating and being effaced.?

Question

i have had one baby already and was dilated 2 and effaced 80% for 3 weeks and finally they decided to enduce me cause they thought the baby was getting too big too fast when i had her she was 8lbs 10ozs but this time im 37 1/2 weeks and i just went to the doctors and was 75% effaced and dilated 2 but i dont really understand what the effacement means and what it has to do with anything. Also not being sick or anything but i heard that if you have sex that the sperm with help you to thin out but what does thinning out do?? And what comes first effacing or dilating and what helps you most to go into labor? Thanks for all the answer please only serious ones!

Answer 1

Effacement means thinning out of the cervix. It starts out long and firm, about the size of your thumb. As you get nearer to labor, it becomes shorter and softer. So if you start out with a cervix that is about 4cm in length and you are 75% effaced, your cervix has shortened to about 1cm in length. It's necessary for the cervix to soften and efface in order to have more dilation happen later during later. The cervix effaces to the point where it is less than 0.5cm thick or less.

As for having sex, there are hormones contained in the semen (not the sperm itself) called prostaglandins. Your body also makes prostaglandins, but a little extra found in semen placed up against the cervix can help it soften even more, and may facilitate effacement and dilation. Plus, if you orgasm during sex, this can stimulate contractions which may or may not put an irritable uterus into a steady contraction pattern and possibly start labor.

Answer 2

Usually, effacement happens first because it means your cervix is thinning out and getting "shorter." As the cervix gets softer and stretched back it begins to dilate, or open, gradually. Full dilation is 10 cm and baby is ready to be born. Most women dilate a little in the weeks preceeding labor. About 1-3 cm of dilation is normal before active labor actually begins.

Yes, the prostaglandins a man produces can make the cervix soften and dilate slightly, but it would not be enough to cause labor unless you were in a high risk category and very sensitive to contractions of any kind.