Keep Your Hands OUT of MY Vagina!
Providers (OBs and midwives) tend to offer a cervical exam, usually during the visit you’re getting your Group B Strep Test done or at any visit thereafter. I know it’s super exciting to see if your cervix has changed; to see if your dilated; to see if labor will happen soon! But there are some issues with this….
First, providers never tell you there are risks to doing cervical exams; which means they are not giving you INFORMED CONSENT. What are those risks? Well, for starters, some providers may strip your membranes on purpose without your knowledge or consent to put you into labor. Why would the do that? Maybe you’re close to your due date so “Why not” or maybe you’re “overdue” and believe you need to have your baby sooner than later. Whatever the reason, THIS IS WRONG! Another risk is that they may accidentally break your water. Yes, this happens FAR more than you think…we just recently had several clients who experienced this within the last few months; one who ended up having a 100% dry birth in which the doctor pulled me aside to ask how the mother was doing because he had never seen a birth THAT dry before. The last risk is infection. No, this isn’t a huge risk because the bag of waters is still intact; however, this is still a small possibility especially if the exams was more aggressive.
Second, dilation when you’re not in labor means ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. I have had clients who had an exam at 10AM and give birth at 5PM the same day and I have had clients at 2-4cm (or more) and have their baby several weeks later. Dilation DOES NOT MATTER when you’re not in labor!
Third, frustration. Will you be frustrated when you get a cervical exam at 40 weeks and you’re still thick and closed…seemingly with no labor in sight? The mental headgame can really set you back, sometimes to the point of needing to be induced, because your mind is just not ready to have a baby; therefore your body won’t be either.
This blog was provoked by yet another unknowing mother received what she thought was an innocent cervical exam over 3 weeks before her baby was due. She realized shortly after her office visit that she was leaking fluid. Sure enough, her water had been broken. Was that the intent of the provider who gave her the cervical exam? Probably not; but it happened. Luckily, she realized there was more fluid than normal leaking and called her provider. Had she waited or not realized what was happening, she could have had a dry birth like one of our other clients or her baby could have even died due to lack of fluid.
In my humble opinion, providers need to keep their hands out of birthing people’s vaginas prior to labor. There are signinficant risks involved and no useful information is found out by doing these exams prior to labor.