Cervical ripening?

Question

What does cervical ripening mean? This is my third baby and I have heard of the obvious- dilation and effacement. But today my doc mentioned ripening?
Dr. Google is not very clear for a definition.

Answer

Softening. Your cervix has to soften or “ripen” in order to efface and dilate all the way.

Answer

I think it’s like softening? Effacement is like thinning and dilating is opening. I think?? 🤔🤔

Answer

Cervix is usually tall and thick, the opening is the size of a pencil eraser. During labor, it goes from a thick tube to a flat circle, that is eventually 10cm in diameter. This is know also as effacement. Effacement is different than dilation, you could be 2-3cm dilated but minimal effacement (thick, non-ripe cervix). Effacement is actually a better predictor of labor.

Cervical ripening?

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