Dilation and effacement are your body's way of getting ready for labor – your cervix gradually opens (dilates) and thins out (effaces) to help your baby make that grand entrance. This process can ...

In preparation for the birth of your baby, your cervix effaces (thins and stretches) and dilates (opens) so your baby can fit through the birth canal. This cervical ripening can begin days or even ...

There are 3 stages of labor. Active labor begins at about 5-6 cm of dilation. You need to be 10 cm dilated to deliver vaginally. After the birth, you’ll deliver the placenta. The cervix, which is the ...

In some circumstances, a doctor may recommend speeding up dilation with medication, procedure, or nipple stimulation. While every pregnancy and delivery is different, most women will agree that by the ...

Only then can you bring your baby into the world. Cervical dilation sounds pretty intense, but if you are in labor, it's going to happen. The question is, how do you know if you're dilated and ready ...

IN obstetric practice, it is acknowledged that a significant number of patients, without apparent cause, repeatedly terminate their pregnancies between the early part of the middle trimester and the ...