[Cervical ripeness. I. The clinical criteria of assessment of ripeness and their variability at term].
Four clinical criteria of "cervical ripeness"--consistency, length, dilatation and station of the fetal head--were checked in cases of term and post-term pregnancy before labour had started, and analyzed for their variability. The frequencies in the consistency categories and also the distribution of cervical effacement indicate that in only 1 to 2,5% of all pregnant women ripening of the cervix had not yet begun at term. There were no differences in nulliparous and parous women. But about 2/3 of the nulliparous and 3/4 of the parous women had a soft cervix which was effaced 80% or more. At term the most common cervical dilatation was 1 to 2 cm in nulliparous women and 1/2 cm more in parous ones. But in only 2 to 8% there was found a dilatation of 3 cm ore more. Engagement of the fetal head was not very advanced at term, with the presenting part reaching or passing station -4 in 27% of the nulliparous and in 21% of the parous women. Only in 1% there was found a presenting part reaching station 0 at term before labour had begun. We do need further studies with serial and standardized examination to get better knowledge of the process and variability of cervical ripening in relation to duration of pregnancy, lag-time to spontaneous onset of labour, prelabour uterine activity and perhaps other conditions.
D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007747:Labor Stage, First; D007743:Labor, Obstetric; D010298:Parity; D011247:Pregnancy; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D013997:Time Factors
Zur Geburtsreife der Zervix uteri. I. Die klinischen Kriterien zur Reifebeurteilung und ihre Variabilität am Endtermin.