Dilation and effacement are terms that doctors and other birth professionals use to describe the changes in the cervix that are required for vaginal birth. Even if you've heard these terms, you may ...

Cervical dilation means the cervix opens up to allow the baby to move from the uterus into the birth canal. Signs that your cervix is dilating include losing your mucus plug, a bloody show, and ...

The cervix dilates (opens) during the first stage of labor to prepare for the baby's birth. Cervical dilation is measured from 1 to 10 centimeters. You are ready to push and deliver when the cervix ...

Near the end of the third trimester, a woman's cervix will soften in order to begin the process of effacing (thinning and stretching) and dilating (opening up). An open cervix allows the baby to pass ...

As you near your due date, you might be wondering about your labor and when will it start. The common things that most of us ...

Since Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that protected a woman's right to choose to have an abortion, was overturned in 2022, there have been many conversations surrounding concerns ...