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Does anyone else's doctor NOT do cervical checks?

  • poll: Does your doctor/midwife do surgical checks
    Yes, regularly : (35 votes)
    34 %
    Yes, on request : (23 votes)
    22 %
    No : (40 votes)
    38 %
    Other : (6 votes)
    6 %
  1. coopsmama

    cantaloupe / 6059 posts

    @Mrs.ThinMint: You're not alone. I just had a cervical check at 39 weeks and it was neither painful or uncomfortable.

  2. bunnylovesbear

    kiwi / 600 posts

    I don't remember if they were done with my first...she's 13 now. lol. But I opted out of them with LO#2. I (accurately) predicted that I would go into labor early, and I didn't want to do anything that could help encourage labor. I'll probably do the same thing this time around...as we get closer, no more internal checks unless absolutely necessary. (But I have a shortened cervix and just started on progesterone, so I imagine they won't be messing around up there anyways. Lol)

  3. mdf106

    clementine / 828 posts

    My OB does. They can be useful for telling whether you are making progress in labor, and on the likelihood of a successful induction. My OB was able to predict the week I would go into labor based on it, but I do not think that was the primary reason for doing them. It was not too painful during appointments. During labor the cervical checks were extremely painful, though.

  4. Mrs. Cookie

    blogger / persimmon / 1225 posts

    @Mrs.Someone: Same!

    Although I had one at 35 weeks because I was going 1.5 hours away on a camping trip and she was concerned. Now it's weekly and I even asked the nurse ahead of time if I could decline, but they really wanted to check, so I was like, whatever. It's also nice to have reassurance that baby is still head down!

    And for me it doesn't hurt that bad, it's uncomfortable sure, but not painful.

  5. Meridian

    pomegranate / 3716 posts

    Can someone explain what a cervical check entails and why/how it is uncomfortable or even painful?? No idea if my OB will do it...

  6. heartonastring

    pomegranate / 3895 posts

    Nope, my midwife's practice doesn't do them until labour, and then only minimally. There's no need to introduce bacteria to the area, particularly when they don't necessarily tell you anything in terms of how close you are to going into labour.

  7. meganmp

    persimmon / 1420 posts

    Mine did, I think because she wanted to make sure I wasn't dilated at first, and later to see if she was going to have to induce me. Perhaps twins are a different scenario?

  8. rachiecakes

    coconut / 8279 posts

    @Mrs.ThinMint: @coopsmama: I was checked at the hospital and it didn't hurt at all, I think it depends on how high baby is and how dilated you are.
    When I was checked at the office I saw stars it hurt so bad but I barely felt a touch at the hospital (I was induced at 40w1d, not dilated but baby was lower).

  9. coopsmama

    cantaloupe / 6059 posts

    @rachiecakes: That would make sense. They told me baby was extremely low at this last check so maybe that's why?

  10. JoJoGirl

    cantaloupe / 6206 posts

    My first cervical check was when I arrived at the hospital after my water broke.

  11. bunnylove08

    grapefruit / 4442 posts

    my OB gave me the option. I opted not to because I was told they hurt. So we didn't do it and she came a week earlier than expected.

  12. rachiecakes

    coconut / 8279 posts

    @coopsmama: probably! I was so terrified at the hospital - haha, I was getting induced and most worried about cervical checks! But it was nothing, barely a touch.

  13. Vegmama

    pear / 1799 posts

    Our midwives do not perform routine cervical checks during pregnancy ... Of course, I guess if I wanted them to, they would have. I never even had a cervical check during labor.

  14. Arden

    honeydew / 7589 posts

    @Meridian: A cervical check is basically where they stick their hand inside your vagina and put their fingers in your cervix. Based on how open your cervix is and how many fingers they can fit in the opening, that tells you how dialated you are.

    They aren't particularly useful before labor because dialation isn't a good predictor of when you will go into labor (I've known women be 4 cm and go for two weeks, and then ones who are tightly closed right up until labor begins).

    Because they aren't research supported before labor, you can decline if your doctor asks to do one before labor. There is absolutely no reason you would need one except to check if you were having premature labor or if you are checking to see how favorable your body would be for an induction.

    It can hurt if the provider isn't gentle, if they have short fingers and have to stick their whole hand in there, etc. my first cervical check was insanely painful (I screamed). Later I had another provider and it didn't hurt badly, it was just uncomfortable. So... I think a lot of it is based of who is doing it.

    I will be declining any and all cervical checks next time around, including during labor. If I had known the research before I had my last baby, I would have declined it more strongly then as well.

  15. Meridian

    pomegranate / 3716 posts

    @Arden: holy crap, I had NO idea that they sometimes have to stick their whole hand up there, that sounds terrible!! Ugh, not looking forward to this!

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