The cervix is a continuation of the uterus itself, which consists of an isthmus (the place of transition of the uterus body into the cervix), the vaginal and supra-marginal parts. The cervical opening facing the uterine cavity is called the internal pharynx, facing the vaginal cavity with the external throat, and the cervical canal is called the cervical canal.
It is important that the body of the uterus is represented by smooth muscles, and the cervix consists of connective tissue, collagen and elastic fibers, as well as smooth muscle cells. This information on the structure of the cervix will help us understand the mechanisms of its disclosure in the norm and pathology.
How to determine the opening of the cervix?
Disclosure of the cervix during pregnancy is a process that normally corresponds to the first period of labor. In obstetrics, the opening of the cervix is measured with the help of an obstetrician's fingers during an internal obstetric examination. At full disclosure, the neck passes 5 fingers of the obstetrician, which is equal to 10 centimeters.
Symptoms of cervical dilatation are as follows:
- pulling pain in the lower abdomen. Sensations when opening the cervix are similar to those that occur with menstruation, only as the degree of opening increases, the pain increases;
- the passage of the mucus-bloody cork that is in the cervical canal during pregnancy and prevents infection into the uterine cavity.
The main signs of cervical dilatation are regular contractions, which are repeated after a certain period of time. Initially, it is 25-30 minutes, and as the expansion increases, it is reduced to 5-7 minutes. The duration and intensity of the contraction also depends on the degree of opening of the cervix. The rate of opening of the cervix during labor is 1 cm / hour from the moment of opening of the cervix by 4 cm. With normal course of labor, the degree of cervical dilatation is checked every 3 hours.
What contributes to the opening of the cervix?
In the normal course of pregnancy, the term of delivery is 37-42 weeks. The starting point for the onset of labor is the reduction in the level of progesterone in the blood (a hormone that is necessary for the normal course of pregnancy).
By the beginning of labor, the opening of the cervix by one finger is one of the signs of its maturity. Reduction of the uterus leads to a decrease in its cavity and pressure of the fetus on the neck. In addition, there is a separation of the amniotic waters of the fetal bladder into the upper and lower pole. During the fight, the lower pole of the fetal bladder is wedged into the cervical canal, which in turn also facilitates its opening.
Premature opening of the cervix
Early detection of the cervix at different periods of pregnancy has its own reasons. At a period of 28-37 weeks, the cause of the onset of labor can be hormone deficiency. Such genera are called premature, and they end with the birth of a viable fetus.
The cause of premature opening of the cervix in early pregnancy to 20 weeks may be infection, inflammatory diseases of the genital organs of a pregnant woman, hormonal insufficiency, placental abruption. In such cases, in the absence of timely qualified medical care, pregnancy
To suspect earlier disclosure of a neck of a uterus it is possible on presence of pulling pains in the bottom of a stomach or belly in the early term. In this case, you should immediately consult a doctor. If fears about premature opening of the cervix are confirmed, the woman is offered to put a seam on the cervix for the entire duration of pregnancy, bed rest and, if necessary, taking hormonal medications that will help preserve the pregnancy.
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