Cervical Effacement
Current as of: May 29, 2019
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine & Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine & Kirtly Jones, MD - Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reproductive Endocrinology
As labor nears, the fetus’s head drops down into the pelvis and pushes against the cervix. The cervix begins to thin (efface) and open (dilate), sometimes over a few weeks.