January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. Both pregnant and non-pregnant people should be aware of their risk factors for this type of cancer and be sure to following the screening guidelines recommended by their health care provider.  As childbirth educators, we talk a lot about the role of the cervix in labor, when informing families about the labor and birth process. Here are ten facts about the cervix that you should be aware of.

1. The complete name for the cervix is “cervix uteri” which means “neck of the uterus."  It is considered the most inferior (lowest) part the uterus.
2. The cervix connects the uterus to the vagina
3. A non-dilated cervix is round and thick and feels like a donut or bagel where the center hole has been almost all the way baked closed. Sometimes it is described as feeling like the bottom of an apple.
4. The cervix produces its very own type of mucus, that changes through a person’s monthly cycle, making the passage more (or less) conducive/receptive to the passage of sperm. When a person is pregnant, the cervix becomes thicker and more viscous due to the hormone progesterone, and actually forms a “plug” for extra protection for the growing embryo.
5. The cervix can change position. At times during the monthly cycle, or during pregnancy and labor, it can be more posterior (toward the back) and during other times, it can move anterior, where it is more easily felt. About two weeks after a menstrual cycle starts is when the cervix in a non-pregnant person is the highest and softest.
6. There is an amazing website that contains thousands of images of the cervix, throughout the monthly cycle, in people who have birthed before or never been pregnant. Check out Beautiful Cervix to see all the variations.
7. When a cervix is dilating as a part of the labor process, it dilates in an oval shape. Unfortunately, it is often depicted as opening in a circular shape in childbirth educational material, which is not accurate.
8. If someone has had a LEEP procedure, cone biopsy, colposcopy or other procedure done on their cervix, this can, at times, leave some scar tissue that can interfere with dilation during labor. A health care provider can help to break up the scar tissue so the cervix can open during labor.
9. It is important to have regular screenings in the form of a PAP smear, where a small sample of cervical cells is examined for signs of abnormalities. The Pap test is named after physician Georgios Papanikolaou who did research in the early detection for cervical cancer.
10. Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the cause of almost every case of cervical cancer. If people chose to receive the HPV vaccine, and have regular cervical screening for abnormalities and STIs, cervical cancer could be all but eliminated. Consider using the CDC guidelines to find the appropriate timing and schedule for each men and women.

Published: January 11, 2023

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