Premature painless dilation of the cervical os during pregnancy.
A dysfunctional cervix of the uterus which is often the cause of spontaneous abortions and premature births and can be remedied by purse-string stitching.
A condition of pregnancy in which the muscles of a woman’s cervix are too weak to hold the fetus within the uterus for the full term of gestation. Normally, the cervix widens only just before birth, in preparation for labor and delivery, but in some women, the cervix begins to widen gradually months earlier, as can be detected with ultrasound scanning. A woman who has had previous miscarriages or who is diagnosed as having an incompetent cervix may have a stitch placed across the end of the cervix to hold it together, generally under an epidural anesthetic in the hospital at about the 14th week of pregnancy. She is also advised to limit activity for the rest of the pregnancy, when (once the suture is taken out) she should be able to deliver normally.
In obstetrics, condition in which the opening of the cervix of the uterus becomes dilated (without labor) before term often causing miscarriage or premature birth. Treatment is by surgical suturing.
Abnormal weakness in a woman’s cervix that can result in a miscarriage. If the cervix is weak, after the 12th or 14th week of pregnancy the weight of the developing fetus and the amniotic fluid around it can force the cervix open, allowing the fetus and placenta to drop down prematurely, resulting in a miscarriage. To help hold the baby in, a stitch may be placed at the opening of the cervix to hold it together firmly (see cerclage, cervical). The stitch is removed at the start of labor or around the 37th or 38th week of pregnancy, so the woman can deliver the baby.