The cervix dilates (opens) during the first stage of labor to prepare for the baby's birth. Cervical dilation is measured from 1 to 10 centimeters. You are ready to push and deliver when the cervix ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Pregnant woman holding apple in one hand and touching belly with other hand Tetra Images/Getty Images In preparation for the birth ...

Labor is the process by which the baby and placenta leave the uterus, or womb. This process normally begins on its own around the 40th week of pregnancy. In some cases, however, medical intervention ...

Stitches commonly used to sew up a pregnant woman’s cervix and prevent early labor can backfire — dramatically increasing her risk of premature labor and pregnancy loss. A specific type of thick, ...

Elective induction of labor in first-time mothers with an unfavorable cervix increased the rate of cesarean deliveries compared with women who received expectant management in a randomized clinical ...

If you’re pregnant, you may think your body will begin the labor process on its own. But sometimes that's not possible and medical professionals need to help start it through labor induction. This ...

If labor doesn’t start on its own, doctors and midwives can use different techniques to get it started so you can give birth. This is called inducing labor, and there are different reasons for doing ...

To investigate the relationship between cervical length (CL) at 37 to 40 weeks and delivery within 7 days and delivery by 41 weeks. We performed transvaginal ultrasound to measure CL in women with ...

A new approach to evaluating the risk of preterm birth has been proposed by analyzing the properties of cervical mucus. The researchers found that cervical mucus from women who delivered their babies ...

Childbirth is painful, yet scientists are still somewhat in the dark about what actually causes the pain. A new doctoral thesis now shows where this pain comes from and opens the way to the ...