as a doula and a childbirth educator I get a lot of questions about cervical exams that are done
in your doctor's office or your midwife's office at the end of pregnancy and that's we're going
to talk about today. Now if you haven't met in real life my name is Alice Turner I am a doula,
a childbirth educator and on my channel I talk about birth so if that's your thing hit the
subscribe button and you'll be notified next time we put out a video. Today it's all about
cervical exams we're going to cover some of the most common questions about cervical exams done
prior to labor now I do have another video that goes more into depth about the cervical exam it's
also called a vaginal exam you might hear it called a pelvic exam you might hear it called
a cervical check but for more information about that check and how it's done check out this video
for more information so a lot of care providers your doctor or Midwife will do a routine cervical
check at your appointment leading up to your birth of your baby so that might be your 36 week
appointment 37 and so on now the big question is is this cervical exam necessary the answer is no
this check is not necessary it does not need to be done so you might be asking why is it done now
the reason that you might hear from your care providers that a cervical exam is done in late
pregnancy or at those late prenatal appointments is to really see if your body is doing any prep to
go into labor so during that cervical exam they might see that you might your cervix might have
started dilating they could tell if your cervix has started facing so they can't see whether
your body has started some labor this is also a time that they can check the position of the baby
so they can feel often if that the head is head down during a cervical exam now is this the only
way to check and if the baby is head down it's not so something called the Leopold's maneuver
they can touch your belly they can see if baby is head down just by palpitating your belly they can
also do a Doppler and check and see where they're carrying the heart rate the loudest that can give
usually give them an indication of the position of the baby they can also do a ultrasound to see
the position of the baby so a cervical exam is not necessary just to find out position of the
baby let's go back to finding out if your body has been prepping for labor so a good question
might be hey I'm dilated does that mean that my body is prepping for labor and you can predict
when I'm going to go into labor nope you cannot predict when labor is going to start just by
how your cervix is presenting at that cervical exam here's a real example if you go into your
appointment and find out your cervix is closed and hasn't started facing no change has been made to
your cervix does that mean that you won't go into labor that night nope you could offer you could
go into labor even after the in point appointment it does not indicate when labor is going to start
what if you go into the appointment and find out that you're 2 or 3 centimeters dilated you might
get really excited and think this is a prediction that labor is going to start any minute is that
true nope doesn't mean that's true either people can stay 2 or 3 centimeters dilated for up to a
week 2 weeks for a long amount of time cervical checks do not predict the future they cannot tell
you when labor is going to start what they can say is your body has started making some change
or your body hasn't started making some change but it doesn't change anything as far as when the baby
is going to come it does not predict anything for when the baby is going to come or when your labor
is going to start what can happen it can change your my and how you're feeling about birth so
I've seen this so many times where clients get very disappointed when they feel like labour is
going to start and they go to their provider and find out their cervix hasn't changed at all and so
they get very depressed and sad that labor isn't going to start anytime soon the other has happened
where people have gone in and found out their cervix is started changing they're 2 centimeters
dilated and then they get so excited because they think this is it and then only to find that it's
going to take days and days for labour to start so it doesn't predict and it isn't necessary to tell
position so you might be asking what's the harm why does it really matter well for a lot of people
a cervical exam is painful and it's something that is an uncomfortable procedure that they really
don't want to have and this is valid so what is a cervical exam done prior to labor labor often
more painful than those exams that happen in labor and it's all because the position of the cervix
the cervix when we are pregnant is pointed way back it's pointed to our posterior and what this
means for the cervical check is that it might be more difficult for your care provider to reach the
cervix because it is situated so far back in the vagina so a cervical check prior to labor starting
often for many people is more painful than those that are done in labor and so if you're someone
who isn't looking forward to a cervical exam finds it painful you do have options so you might be
thinking how do I avoid this so my best suggestion for avoiding a cervical exam prior to labor is to
talk to your care provider have a discussion with them about your preferences have a very open frank
discussion about what you want and ask them why it is necessary or what your options are for having a
cervical exam now I suggest having this discussion when you are in your regular clothes so you feel
very vulnerable if you are in that paper down partially dressed and you're trying to have a
frank conversation about your preferences poor a cervical check so if it is your appointment
and you get put into a room and your nurse says here is a gown go ahead and change your doctor
is going to do a an exam go ahead and go into the room but wait I'm getting into that paper
gown and let your nurse know that you'd like to have a discussion with a doctor prior to getting
undressed this is how you are giving keeping your own control over that conversation and having it
before you have the exam that you don't want so it's always you're you haven't your power
to change or not change so have the discussion when you have your clothes on and you will feel
more confident in expressing your desires and have a a good discussion with your care providers about
your options sometimes people ask my provider say that I will get a cervical exam when I have
my GPS test which is usually done at my 36 week appointment is a cervical exam necessary for the
GPS test nope that's not true either so the group B strep test to find out whether or not you have
the Group B bacteria in your vagina that is a swab that's done on the outside or slightly inside the
vagina so it is not something that comes near your cervix so a cervical exam is not required during
a GPS test those are two different things and very different procedures as well that is not necessary
so the last question that I often hear is what if I want an exam I'm kind of curious what's going
on I really want to know I've been having some contractions I've been seeing some mucus plug
I've been seeing some bloody show I want to know whether or not my cervix is changing can I request
a cervical exam the answer is yes you have the ability to agree or disagree with a cervical exam
prior to labor so it's absolutely something that you can talk to your care provider and
express interest in the exam so you definitely have the power to request a cervical exam and
agree to an exam prior to labor I do recommend that you talk about risks of the procedure and
go into it with an open mind knowing that it isn't a prediction so either way you won't be
excited or disappointed depending upon what your body is doing because like I said earlier it can
change at any time so now you know cervical exams done prior to labor are not necessary though you
do have an option if you want to though they don't protect labor now if you found this video helpful
hit the like button that way more people can find this video and share the same information and I
hope that you have a great day enter a comment I love to read them see you next time bye guys