User:Brian.Chiu - UCSF PharmD./Cervical effacement
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cervical effacement or cervical ripening refers to the thinning and shortening of the cervix. This process occurs during labor to prepare the cervix for dilation to allow the fetus to pass through the vagina.** While this a normal, physiological process that occurs at the later end of pregnancy, it can also be induced through medications and procedures. [1]