Cervical effacement or cervical ripening refers to a thinning of the cervix.
Background
Cervical effacement is a component of the
Bishop score and can be expressed as a percentage.
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 Bloody show is the passage of a small amount of blood or blood-tinged mucus through the vagina near the end of pregnancy. It is caused by the detachment of the cervical mucus plug that seals the cervix during pregnancy, and is one of the signs that ...
(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.
Results from a systematic review of the literature found no differences in
cesarean delivery
Caesarean section, also known as C-section or caesarean delivery, is the surgical procedure by which one or more babies are delivered through an incision in the mother's abdomen, often performed because vaginal delivery would put the baby or mo ...
nor
neonatal outcomes in women with low-risk pregnancies between inpatient or outpatient cervical ripening.
Effacement is accompanied by
cervical dilation.
References
Childbirth
Midwifery
Obstetrics
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