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All About the Cervix

The Opening to the Womb

By Teri Brown

We women spend very little of our lives thinking about our cervix. We are reminded of its existence every two years when we go in for a pap smear, but that's about it.

Until we get pregnant.

Pregnancy brings this tiny organ to the forefront of our minds, as the cervix softens, lengthens, elongates, dilates, thins and does all sorts of interesting things. So just what is the cervix and exactly what is its role in pregnancy? The following questions and answers will tell you what you need to know about this very important piece of our anatomy.

The cervix is the opening to the womb. It's located between the vagina and the uterus and plays a crucial role in pregnancy and labor. During pregnancy, it remains closed and the opening is blocked with a mucus plug.

According to Dr. Adelaide Nardone, medical advisor to the Vagisil Women's Health Center and clinical instructor at the Brown University School of Medicine, it depends on whether the woman has had a vaginal delivery or not.

"If a woman has never had a baby, her cervical opening is very small, in some cases as small as a pinhead, but large enough to allow for menstrual blood to flow out and to allow for the insertion of a cytobrush [used when obtaining Pap smears]," says Dr. Nardone. "If a woman has had a vaginal delivery, the external opening of the cervix can be described as a small 'slit' or 'fish mouth,' but the internal 'os' [the junction between the cervix and the uterus] should be closed."

According to Dr. Nardone, the cervix is the structure that is intended to protect the fetus during its development. It is designed to remain firmly closed and provide resistance to pressure from the growing structures above it (e.g., the fetus and uterus).

"Once labor ensues, the cervix must be able to yield to the intrauterine pressure and contractions and undergo dilatation and effacement [thinning out]," says Dr. Nardone. "The main component of the cervix is collagen, and this provides its firm consistency during gestation."

Want to see more?

• Understanding the Uterus: A Main Player during Pregnancy
  and Beyond
• The Life Cycle of the Placenta: A Major Player in a Woman's Pregnancy
• At Your Cervix: A Lifetime of Cervical Health
• Talk about it!

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