38 week cervical exam pros/cons

Rainbow17 · October 2014

Deciding on whether to have my cervical check. I hear they hurt, but I'd like to know my status. What are some pros/cons to getting this done.

TashaPlusNika · October 2014

I guess the only 'pro' is that you get told if you're progressing or not, but frankly, it's not like things will go any differently unless you're getting your membranes stripped.

Sometimes checks hurt, other times they're just uncomfortable, if you're so undecided or worried about pain I vote just wait it out

The cons would be getting checked and told info that doesn't really convey when you'll go into labour, hence leaving as clueless as you came in, except now crampy and uncomfortable.

Also, if your body -does- react to you getting a check and you go into labour and if your baby is on the smaller side, you may wish you'd have waited.

PrimRoseMama · October 2014

Pros : you know your status

Cons:
1) They can be uncomfortable or painful
2) they can irritate your cervix & cause spotting.
3) any progress before active labor is a bonus
4) they don't really mean anything

kemb0001 · October 2014

I had mine last Friday and opted for a cervical exam. I was kind of nervous since this is my first and all I've read is how much is was uncomfortable or hurt. Honestly, it wasn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Or at least for me it didn't seem that way. It was better than a papsmear and she just used her fingers to check.

ahbEsq · October 2014

I'm considering opting out of cervical checks before labor this time. Like PPs said, they don't mean much. For me they really hurt since DS was so far down, and only served to depress me when I wasn't dilated at all.

JenLy2012 · October 2014

I was checked at my 40 week appointment and when I went into labor at 41 weeks (my water broke) I was still the same as I was the week before. It's nice to know if you are moving along but really it doesn't really say much.

TheoryMuse · October 2014

So, I just had my 37 week cervical check last Wednesday. For me, the check was quite uncomfortable, and it was followed by a very crampy afternoon plus 2+ days of spotting. Now, granted, I normally cramp and spot a little bit after a pap smear (though not nearly as much as I did after the cervical check), so if that isn't the case for you, you may well have a better time with the cervical check than I did.

I could have opted out of the check (and I think I will this week if they offer one), but I wanted as much info as possible. But, as many posters have already pointed out, whether this information is at all useful is debatable. I got pretty excited when the OB told me I was 3.5 cm dilated and 85% effaced. That's good news for when I do go into labor, I guess, because I'm already part of the way there, but I don't have a better idea of when that will happen now than I did before (I'm still pregnant). My OB said that my cervix was looking great and she'd be surprised if I went past my due date, but there's not much I can do with that info except get worked up--which can delay labor.

Stephij1 · October 2014

My cervical checks with dd weren't at all painful. Even when the dr stripped my membranes, it was just slightly uncomfortable. That said, I don't think I'll be getting them this time because they don't really tell you anything and I see no reason to have someones hand in there unless it's necessary. Maybe if I'm still pregnant on my due date, I'll have the midwife strip my membranes, but I haven't decided yet.

alysonmh · October 2014

I think it just feeds curiosity more than anything, they aren't necessary and don't give you any indication of when you will actually have the baby. None of my checks have hurt at all so I wouldn't assume it's going to.

AnnieRoo13 · November 2014

I had one done on Wednesday and I regret it. As others have said it doesn't tell you much and I felt like garbage for about 24 hours (cramping and bleeding). Curiosity got the better of me, but I'm going to decline them from now on.

jinnymb · November 2014

There really aren't pros to the cervical check.

Cons:

Any time they check you they are possibly introducing bacteria into your body.

Plus it can be uncomfortable and cause unnecessary spotting and then anxiety.

Sometimes doctors will without permission try to strip your membranes, which is also unnecessary at this point. They can also accidently break your water while stripping membranes, which would not be good if the baby is not ready to come yet.

My advice would be to wait til you are at least 40 weeks to start them if you are curious. I promise you they mean absolutely nothing.

misterdonut · November 2014

jinnymb said:

There really aren't pros to the cervical check.

Cons:
Any time they check you they are possibly introducing bacteria into your body.
Plus it can be uncomfortable and cause unnecessary spotting and then anxiety.
Sometimes doctors will without permission try to strip your membranes, which is also unnecessary at this point. They can also accidently break your water while stripping membranes, which would not be good if the baby is not ready to come yet.

My advice would be to wait til you are at least 40 weeks to start them if you are curious. I promise you they mean absolutely nothing.

yes to this! big con is setting up yourself for anxiety. i got checked around 38 weeks and 40 weeks and was 1 cm both times. it won't tell you anything...nothing'but a number!! (and it was uncomfortable.)

jennypolkadots · November 2014

There's no point. I honestly have no earthly idea why many OBs insist on several vaginal exams. Let's say you go in at 28 weeks and are 4 cm dilated and 50% effaced. The doctor says "you're going to go any day now!" and you get so excited. It is totally possible that you have another 3 weeks of waiting and just as long a labor as the woman who was 1 cm at the start of labor. Every body, baby, and birth are different and vaginal exams tell us virtually nothing useful about how labor will go or when to expect it to start. The exams introduce bacteria into the birth canal though and I have heard of accidental rupture of membranes at checks late in pregnancy.

Even if I had the checks I wouldn't want to know my cervical dilation or lack thereof. My midwives don't do vaginal exams unless there is some indication that something is wrong - bleeding, pain, or they can't tell for sure if the baby is head down (rare - they can usually always tell by feeling). I may go all the way to pushing without having a single check and that's a-okay with me!

CandaceC1020 · November 2014

I have opted out of cervical checks. I do not want to become fixated on a number and become upset if it is a crappy dilation or % of effaced. I'll let my baby come out when it's ready. I trust my body.

RachelCA29 · November 2014

smeame14 said:
Mine never hurt.

I remember at my 39 week check up, doctor said "I probably won't see you at your appointment next week, because I think baby is coming this weekend (this was a Friday). I can feel baby's head and dialated at 2." Sure enough I went into labor Sunday morning.

My doctor said the exact same thing to me after doing mine at 38 weeks. I had to be induced at 41 weeks ...

38 week cervical exam pros/cons

Re: 38 week cervical exam pros/cons

LFAF Summer 2016 Awards:

Choose Another Board

Search Boards